Worlds Finest
by Anime Lauriat
Summary: YYHInuyasha Xover. Before Yusuke could face Toguro in the finals of the Dark Tournament, he's given a new assignment. To stop a demon more powerful than he could imagine. To do so, he'll have to join forces with an unlikely ally; a hanyou named Inuyasha.
1. Problems

DISCLAIMER: I don't own or claim possession of Yu Yu Hakusho, Inuyasha, or any of the characters contained therein. This story is solely for the entertainment of fans like myself, and should not be distributed in any way as to compromise the series or it's creators that have provided us with hours of quality (and free) entertainment.  
  
Chapter 1:  
  
Mr. Takanaka slowly shook his head as he looked across his desk at the dark haired youth sitting before him. There was so much potential, so much untapped talent in this one, if only.if only he would buckle down and commit himself to his studies, the possibilities were boundless. He felt a sigh escape his lips before he started.  
"Yusuke, I just don't understand what's wrong with you. Your prolonged absence from class is bad enough, but since your return," Takanaka paused, wanting to choose his words carefully. "You've been distracted. It's not just your academics either, seeing you on campus always looking over your shoulder, barely able to stand in one place for long. Please, what is going on?" The principal of Sariyashki Junior High wanted to help this boy, for whom he always had a soft spot.  
Yusuke Urameshi sat in the principal's office, his foot tapping on the floor as if he were either annoyed or late for an appointment. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about. There's nothing wrong with the way I'm acting. And I already told you, I had to miss all that school because I was doing missionary work in-".  
"Dammit Yusuke! I don't like being lied to, but you could at least have the courtesy to come up with a better story. I know that you've had a hard life, I can relate to that. In truth, mine was too. I know what it is to feel alone and misunderstood, to be looked at as a common thug more likely to mug you then give you the time of day. It's a hard and lonely path, made even worse when you do not have strong family ties to fall back on." Takanaka paused as he saw the boy's anger flare at his last remark. Yusuke's mother Shizuru was rarely home and she seemed to drift through life in a never-ending state of inebriation. But even still, she was his mother, and he was very protective of her.  
"Watch it old man," Yusuke said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-what I'm trying to say is that are not alone. What you're going through, whatever it is, I can help. Remember, I was your age once too, all the problems you face in life-they're the same ones that I fought against, that I overcame. I can help you overcome them too, if you'd just stop pushing me out. Whatever it is, I've been there and done it."  
The raven-haired boy's face softened for a moment, and Takanaka saw the boy that he once knew, the one that he met those years ago. Softly, almost underneath his breath, the boy muttered, "You have no idea." But as quickly as it came, the moment was gone. The second of vulnerability that he had exposed was gone, Yusuke's face now reflected the fearlessness and intensity that it normally held. Rising from his chair he moved to leave before stopping and facing his principal. "Listen old man, I don't need anything except for you to quit hassling me. Everything's under control." With that Yusuke Urameshi turned and walked out of the office. "Yusuke! Wait!! Everybody needs help sometimes!" His words rang through the empty halls and Takanaka could only shake his head, knowing that the boy was gone. Under his breath he muttered, "Damn the foolishness of youth."  
  
**  
  
The pain coursing through his body was intense, but pain was nothing new to Yusuke. He stood beside his battered and bloody team, the four brave fighters who had chosen to stand beside him in this hell that was appropriately titled the Dark Tournament. They had just barely defeated Team Rokuyokai and Team Urameshi was no longer in what would be called fighting shape. Nevertheless, they now moved to haul themselves off the fighting area to a safer location, especially considering the match that was about to begin.  
As Yusuke made hiss way to the side, his eyes locked with a large man striding to the center of the ring. Despite his dark sunglasses, the spirit detective could feel the man's stare penetrating him. His name was Toguro, and he was the reason Yusuke and his friends had been forced into competing in this very lethal tournament.  
Toguro turned his attention to address the kitsune announcer who stood in the middle of the ring, intimidated to say the least. "I will be fighting on behalf of my team this round," the demon said. "A-are you s- sure?" the young girl asked, trying very hard to not anger Toguro. A smirk appeared on the demon's face and as he spoke he turned to face Team Urameshi, now standing (as best they could) off to the side near the crowd. "I wish to be at my best when I face Urameshi, so I will take this opportunity to limber my body and sharpen my mind." Now turning to face his five opponents, he calmly said, "As I have chosen to fight today, and since these weaklings will give me no trouble, I see no reason to concern my teammates. I will fight them myself."  
At this a large horned demon stepped forward. It's thick green skin seemed thicker than armor, and sharp pointed horns protruded in a circular pattern around his head. Wielding a giant mace the demon, easily twice the size of Toguro, stepped forward and cried, "You dare show such disrespect to me? For this I will destroy you!" He was abruptly cut off, however, by a smaller demon with skin as crimson as the blood which flowed from any foolhardy enough to face him. This demon, captain of his team, stepped forward and said, "Silence Haku! If he wishes to hand this victory to us then we will surely not disappoint." Long blades slowly descended from his wrists, as he raised one hand to point to his sunglassed opponent. "We will defeat you and soon claim victory over this entire tournament."  
This notion seemed to amuse Toguro for a moment, but he simply removed the trenchcoat he was wearing and sized up the five warriors standing across the ring. "Fifty percent of my power should be more than enough to dispose of you."  
Yusuke had seen his hated rival power up several times before, but this time was different. As the demon began to gather his spirit energy around him, a strange purple miasma began to appear immediately behind him. "Urameshi, look at that!" Kuwabara shouted, pointing at the new energy. Kurama, the red haired fox demon struggled to stand, pointedly saying, "Something's not right." As Toguro's power increased, so did the mass of energy. The now unmasked Genkai began, "I've never seen anything like-" She was cut off as the energy began to surge toward Toguro, who turned around to find it nearly on top of him. He struggled against it, but the miasma had enveloped him, drawing Toguro further into its depths. A single cry emerged from the demon before he was fully consumed.  
A shocked silence fell over the entire stadium, as nobody quite knew what had just happened. The spirit detective felt his stomach turn over on itself as he looked into the ring trying, like the rest of his team to comprehend what they were looking at. For Toguro, the most powerful demon that Yusuke Urameshi had ever faced, was gone.  
  
**  
  
As he wandered down the courtyard of his school, Yusuke was still deep in thought. He was jolted back in to reality, however, when he was smacked upside his head with such force he found himself lying on the ground. Normally he would get mad, but Yusuke knew there was only one person in the world that hit like that.  
"Yusuke! What's the big idea walking right past me like you don't even know me? Jerk!" The angry voice was such a contrast to the image before Yusuke, as he stared up at the young woman standing over him. Her short brown hair was stylishly arranged, and her blue school uniform was hanging flawlessly from her young body. Keiko had definitely "filled out" as Yusuke put it, quite nicely. She was no longer the pretty girl that he had once known, replaced by a beautiful woman. But it was her eyes that always drew Yusuke in, the soft brown eyes that always penetrated through the fronts that he would put up. He felt that he could look into her eyes for eternity.  
"Sorry," Yusuke said as he stood up to meet her eyes. "I guess I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I was just thinking about things." Keiko didn't need to ask him what it was that consumed his attention. It had been a month since Toguro had vanished during the last semi-final match of the Dark Tournament. Koenma had, of course, ordered a search of both the human and spirit realms, which had of late produced absolutely no leads. She knew that Yusuke could not relax, could not let his guard down, while his nemesis was lurking out there, ready to strike at his loved ones at any time.  
Even more disconcerting was the fact that no one understood exactly why or how the demon had vanished. The battlefield had been searched innumerous times, but no trace of Toguro or the mysterious purple miasma was to be found. With his opponent gone, Yusuke had no choice but to try to pick up his normal life. But without the closure of a fight with Toguro, that was nearly impossible.  
It broke Keiko's heart to see him like this. He was trying so hard to be strong, to put up a front of utter strength and confidence, but she knew better. Deep down, Yusuke was scared. Scared that his mortal enemy was unaccounted for, that he could be lurking around any corner, ready to strike down his loved ones at a moment's notice. Scared that there was a new, unknown force of such power that it could contain and defeat the mighty Toguro. And most of all, scared that he may not be strong enough to do anything about it. Of course Yusuke would never speak of these fears; Keiko knew her man. He would face them alone. He never could ask for help really.  
"So, I was thinking we could go check out that new foreign film at the art house this weekend. It's in subtitles, but I hear it's excellent," Keiko said. "Huh? Sure, whatever," Yusuke replied, not too eager to see another one of Keiko's artsy movies; she still nagged him about the last time. A little snoring and she just flipped out.  
Keiko suddenly paused, and let out a long sigh. "Great. So much for this weekend," she said. Confused about her change of heart, Yusuke turned. Crossing the street was a blue-skinned ogre, pulling up the collar of his trenchcoat in an effort to conceal his appearance. A fedora sat oddly on his head, hastily crammed over the single horn that Yusuke knew protruded from his scalp. The ogre's head darted back and forth, trying to survey the entire area for any human that might find him out of the ordinary.  
When the ogre finally reached the young couple he began, "Mr. Urameshi sir. I've been sent directly from Lord Koenma with an urgent message. His Majesty requests your immediate presence at his palace in Spirit World where you will receive your next assignment." The ogre spat out the words hurriedly, as if he were afraid of forgetting an important detail. He then took a step back, somewhat intimidated.  
Yusuke's mind began to race. His assistant Botan was the one who usually brought him his assignments, Koenma's ogres never left the palace. Something must have happened to the blue-haired grim reaper for such an unsuitable replacement to be sent in her stead. And Yusuke was never called in to Spirit World. Something big was happening, and Yusuke knew that it meant trouble. He turned to Keiko, who simply nodded and fought against the tears that had already begun rolling down her cheek. With that, Yusuke Urameshi turned and broke off into a sprint. The spirit detective would stand tall against whatever horrors awaited. Even if he stood alone. 


	2. Confrontations

Chapter 2:  
  
The sun shone down on the small forest clearing, burning off the morning dew that still lingered from the rainy morning. It was a warm spring day, the entire area filled with the prospect of new life in bloom. The scene was such that gave artists cries of inspiration and old men a tear at their lost prime of youth.  
Sitting in the middle of the clearing sat an old well. To look at it one would see nothing of great import, it was a humble well made of stone and timber; a common design used by peasants throughout the area. It was oddly placed, too far from the nearest village to really make it viable for use. The point was moot of course, as the well had gone dry long before anyone could remember. Forest surrounded it on all directions, yet the dense vegetation had not spread and overtaken the clearing. It stood, clustered around yet held off as if warded by a powerful force.  
The quiet solitude of nature was shortly interrupted, however, as an impatient grunt filled the air. He paced around the well for what seemed like the hundredth time, his blood boiling with what had become an all too familiar annoyance. She was supposed to be back by now! Did she think he had all day to sit around while she laughed and played and took her tests? Always with those tests. She must really love them to just drop their search for the shards of the Shikon Jewel like she did.  
He peered over the edge of the well, hoping to see her at the bottom. It was pointless really, as his nose would alert him of her arrival before his eyes could. She had a distinctive scent, one that he would recognize in a heartbeat. It always seemed to put him at ease and, truth be told, he was always able to sleep better when it was near. He threw back his head, long white hair whipping through the air. The small dog ears on his head twitched, ever vigilant for the sound of someone unwantedly approaching. Inuyasha began his pacing again. He didn't know why he was waiting for her all the way out here, a reasonable man would have remained in Kaede's hut with the rest of their friends. But when it came to Kagome, Inuyasha was far from reasonable.  
It was at that moment he heard a sound emanate from the well, he knew she had arrived. The first thing that popped out of the well was a large backpack filled so completely that it looked ready to explode at any moment. Then a slender arm appeared, and Kagome pulled herself out ready to tackle the day. She had only been gone for a few days, yet had accomplished more in the short time then she used to in a month! For while she had less time to devote to her studies, she had learned to become much more efficient with her time spent. Kagome was even ahead in two of her subjects. So, as she climbed out of the well Kagome was feeling pretty good about herself. Then she saw Inuyasha.  
"Inuyasha! Sorry I'm a little late but I-" Kagome began before the hanyou abruptly cut her off. "Where have you been?" Inuyasha practically shouted at the girl, his voice ringing through the forest. "Do you think we have all day to just sit around while you run off to your school and your friends and your TESTS," he cried out accusingly. Kagome had to hand it to Inuyasha, he had an uncanny ability to find the way to ruin any good mood she may be in. "Look, I've told you before it's not like I like to take-" she said before being interrupted again. "Feh, stupid woman. Finding the shards and defeating Naraku is the most important thing. Besides, if you didn't like your tests you just wouldn't go to them." She let out an annoyed sigh and tried to remain calm, he doesn't know what tests are, he doesn't know why I have to go to school. Fighting back her rising anger, Kagome tried to put as much happiness into her voce as possible when she started, "Look Inuyasha, I realize you must be upset and I-". She was cut off again, however, as Inuyasha's rant continued, "Now we lost the whole morning waiting for you while you were-" "INUYASHA!" Kagome hollered at him, cutting him off for a change. "Sit." With the magic word, the rosary around the hanyou's neck activated and slammed him face first into the ground. "If you-SIT-would let me get a-SIT- word in edge wise-SIT-I would have said-SIT-that I was sorry. So much for that I guess!" Kagome stopped and looked at Inuyasha, instantly feeling sorry, not for being late but for repeatedly slamming him down. She knew that it must hurt, probably emotionally more than anything else. It was one thing for her to have the power to physically beat Inuyasha down, but for her to give him a command reserved for a common domesticated house dog was a real insult. As Kagome started toward him, Inuyasha began to rise, muttering under his breath at her. She held her hand out to him, but he knocked it away, intent to rise under his own power. After dusting himself off, Inuyasha turned and began the brief walk back to the village. Without a word, Kagome followed. Thoughts of their fight consumed her mind, and Kagome decided that she would make it up to him, maybe by preparing a nice dinner. That would be nice, and should definitely smooth the whole thing over. Before she could tell him of her plans, however, Kagome heard Inuyasha mutter, "You WERE late though." The sound of a very thick head colliding with the hard ground could be heard throughout the forest.  
  
**  
  
As they entered Kaede's village, Inuyasha trailed Kagome by a few paces, not eager to taste the dirt again. Kagome rolled her eyes at him, knowing that behind her back he was silently sulking. It wasn't that she was mad at him really. She was surprised to find herself only slightly miffed by their argument, one that only a few months ago would have left her in a rage for the rest of the day. In fact, she was actually starting to feel a twinge of guilt rise up in her stomach; did he really deserve all that abuse? No, he had been acting like a jerk, treating her like some kind of unfeeling Shikon radar. Still.  
Kagome slowed her pace until she drew even with the hanyou. Their eyes met and Kagome could have sworn he gave her a slight nod, a silent acknowledgement that the fight was over. Some would say she caved in to him too often, Sango had in fact chided her once for regularly allowing him to get his way (especially concerning a certain undead miko). Kagome knew, however, that she wasn't giving in, she was merely accepting him for who and what he was, a trait that Sango knew a little something about.  
Inuyasha suddenly stopped, drawing Kagome's attention immediately as his hand moved to the hilt of the sword at his hip. A moment later, two young children appeared around a corner, running as if their lives depended on it. Inuyasha grabbed the nearest by his collar and lifted him up until their eyes met. "What's got you two so worked up?" the hanyou asked. "S- strange noises a-are coming from Kaede's hut. I t-think it's a m-monster," the terrified child replied. Dropping the child rather unceremoniously to the ground Inuyasha said to him, "Get out of here kid." The two children, not wasting any time, took off in the opposite direction.  
No words needed to be spoken between the two, Inuyasha bolted in the direction of Kaede's home with Kagome close on his heels. The old woman was close to all of them, and had offered up her home to their group without a second thought. As they grew closer, Kagome winced at the screams she heard. Inuyasha burst through the entrance first, and stopped short so quickly his female companion nearly bowled him over.  
Lying on the ground was a young man clad in black and purple robes, a rosary of holy prayer beads wrapped around his right forearm. His long black hair, usually neatly wrapped in a tight ponytail, was in disarray. Most conspicuously though, were the multitude of bright red bruises on his face, shaped like a hand. Standing over him was a young girl wearing a set of pink and black demon hunting armor. The girl, normally such a beauty even a blind man would turn and stare at as she walked by, now had her face twisted into an expression of such rage that even Inuyasha would shy away from.  
"You-you LECHER!" the girl shrieked. "How dare you try that when you thought I was asleep," she continued, oblivious to the fact that Inuyasha and Kagome had entered the room. "In my defense, you hadn't quite fallen asleep yet, so-" the battered monk began before being cut off by a look so venomous that even he got the point and shut up. "Ahem," Inuyasha tactlessly cleared his throat, letting the two combatants know they were being watched. Sango shot Miroku one more look of death, before turning to her two friends.  
"Kagome, I'm glad to see you made it back safely. Inuyasha, at least now there's ONE man here now that knows how to respect a sleeping lady," Sango said. Eager to join the conversation, and steer it away from a discussion of his perversion, Miroku dusted himself off and joined the group, careful to keep someone between himself and Sango at all times. "Lady Kagome, now that you have returned I believe we should head out to the northwest. I have sensed an unusual amount of dark energies emanating from that direction," the monk said.  
"Feh, is that all you've got Miroku?" Inuyasha cut in. "I got a tip from a nearby village that a powerful demon was spotted near the Uzumaki Cliffs. It's about a half days trip to the northwest," proud of his investigative work, Inuyasha adopted a smug grin. "It's decided then, off to the Uzumaki Cliffs!" Kagome exclaimed as they left the hut aside, walking into the bright midday sun. "Shippo, Kirara we're leaving," Kagome called to their two remaining comrades whose mysterious absence was quite pronounced. Warily, the young kitsune poked his head out from behind a corner, eyeing the group-Sango in particular. Flashing the cub a warm smile, Sango knelt down and said, "It's alright for you two come out now, I'm done yelling." Looking at her for a second, Shippo quickly decided that she was indeed sincere, and walked out to join the group. Following him was a small cat with two large bushy tails trailing behind her.  
The cat demon caught Sango's eye and, quickly understanding the situation, transformed in a burst of flame. Now standing over four feet tall was the sabretoothed transformation of Kirara. Climbing on her back, Sango motioned for Kagome to join her. Normally Kagome rode on Inuyasha's back while Sango traveled on Kirara with Miroku, but based on her anger today Kagome mused that it may be some time before the monk was allowed to ride with her again.  
Leaping off the ground, Kirara flew off to take the lead, with Inuyasha and Miroku walking behind them. Turning to the hanyou, Miroku took note of the quickly fading bruise on the bottom of his chin and the dirt still present on his red kimono. "You too?" the monk asked amusedly. A cry of "SHUT UP!" rang from the hanyou.  
  
**  
  
Several hours later, Inuyasha and his companions arrived at their destination. The reassuring warmth of the sun had faded, the moons pale glow cast over the sharp cliff faces surrounding them. Shippo and Kagome had been of the mind that they should hold their advance until morning, when their visibility would be increased and their odds of avoiding an ambush would improve. Unfortunately, Inuyasha had picked up the scent of their nemesis, the insidious demon Naraku. The hanyou darted into a narrow ravine, tracking the smell, and his friends had barreled in after him.  
They had been walking through the ravine for at least half an hour, it's sharp turns and jagged rocks made even Inuyasha slow his pace. Finally, the corridor of rock widened and eventually opened into a large opening, about a hundred yards wide. Standing several meters away, waiting for them, stood Naraku.  
The demon stood in the midst of what appeared to be a battlefield, debris littered the rocky ground and large chunks of the stone face had been blasted away with such force they had left only small craters in their stead. Inuyasha sized up his opponent instead of charging in, as was his usual approach. There was something different about him this time; he emanated an aura of sheer power and hatred that seemed so overpowering that it was difficult to even remain focused.  
"Naraku!" Inuyasha exclaimed unsheathing his father's fang, "You're going down this time!" The entire team prepared themselves for the inevitable battle, Sango raising her Hiraikotsu, Miroku reaching his left hand over to grab the prayer beads at his wrist should he need use of his powerful Kazanna. Kagome had her bow in hand and was reaching for an arrow when she saw it. At Naraku's feet was a small black object that Kagome knew quite well. No, it wasn't possible; there's no way Naraku could have a. "Inuyasha!" Kagome called out, causing the hanyou to turn his head. It was all the opening Naraku needed. Looking them over with an amused smile, the demon raised his hand to the group palm forward. It was such a small movement, a mere flick of his wrist, Inuyasha doubted that his hand had moved more than six inches. The force of this movement, however, bowled over them over and left them looking up at Naraku from the ground. Kagome had been knocked unconscious from the force, next to her lay Miroku spilling blood rapidly from a large gash caused by a jagged rock on which he had landed. Inuyasha struggled to his feet, using Tetsusaiga as a prop to help him rise. "You won't win. I won't let you," he began, staring into the smirking face of his enemy. "Impudent whelp. Now face my true power!" Naraku exclaimed as his body began glowing with a strange energy that Inuyasha had never seen before. The demon screamed as the energy swirled around him, growing faster and faster. Finally it was forced outward, in an explosion that ripped through the ravine. Struggling to open his eyes, Inuyasha saw Naraku was now standing over him, nary a scratch on his body. He reached for Tetsusaiga but found that his body would no longer move, the pain and intense physical injury slowly causing his body to shut down. The demon met Inuyasha's eyes, saw him pleading with his body to move, to grab his sword. Naraku's heel came down sharply on Inuyasha's wrist, causing the hanyou to cry out in pain. "Dear Inuyasha," Naraku began, "how it must pain you. To know that what you fought for, what consumed your every waking moment, is now thoroughly out of your reach. You have lost. My new power is so great that I no longer even consider your existence a threat to me." The last thing Inuyasha heard before losing consciousness was that voice, "I'm not going to kill you, for there is no longer any need. You are beneath me." 


	3. Challenges

Chapter 3:  
  
"I-I'm sorry sir, Lord Koenma is in a meeting at the moment, but he has assured me that he will be with you shortly," a green skinned ogre stammered, trying his best to block the doorway. His efforts were in vain, however, as Yusuke knocked him over, continuing to Koenma's office. The bureaucrats were better with paperwork than people, and their hands were more than full with an angry spirit detective charging through the palace.  
Throwing another set of double doors open, Yusuke trudged into the antechamber of the lord of the Spirit Realm. One more door would lead to Koenma and, hopefully, some answers as to what exactly was going on. Before he could get halfway across the room though, Yusuke heard a familiar voice off to his side say, "Well, I do suppose subtlety was never your strong suit Yusuke, but I'd wager that they could hear you all the way to Tokyo." Stepping forward was the read haired fox demon Kurama.  
"Now gee, why did I have a feeling that I'd find you two here?" Yusuke asked. The kitsune smiled and glanced over his shoulder at the man who had been standing next to him. While the man, dressed entirely in black, was a good foot shorter than Kurama, he radiated an aura of intensity and intimidation that would cause most to shy away. Then again, with a demon like Hiei, that was more often than not the wisest course of action.  
Turning his attention away from the fire demon, Kurama addressed Yusuke again, "Judging by your entrance I think it's safe to assume that you are as clueless as we are about Koenma's summon." Looking rather annoyed, Hiei moved to join the group. "I have no idea what that toddler wants, but I'm sure that we," Hiei looked at Kurama, "will be doing all the heavy lifting again."  
Feeling a flush of anger rise within him, Yusuke turned toward the diminutive demon, "Look, I appreciate what you guys did, fighting in the Dark Tournament with me and all," he began, "but let's get one thing straight right now. I don't need your help. I'm the spirit detective and I don't need a pair of demon babysitters telling me how to do MY job." Hiei's face remained emotionless, but Kurama seemed genuinely hurt by the detective's words. "Yusuke, I'm sure he didn't mean-" Kurama began before being cut off.  
Everyone turned at the sound of a commotion coming from the hallway. A moment later, Kazuma Kuwabara came barreling through the door. The ogre that had been chasing him shrugged his shoulders, heading back to his desk muttering something about how this wasn't in his job description. Kuwabara blinked at the sight of the room's other three occupants before asking, "Am I late? Jeez, I hope I didn't miss anything."  
Turning to look at the newcomer, Yusuke simply rolled his eyes and muttered, "Great, you too." Not having any idea why he had been summoned to the Spirit World was one thing, but Kuwabara was not going to take the perceived slight from the man that was both his best friend and rival. "What's that supposed to mean, huh?" the boy began, raising his fists. He soon paused, however, as Hiei turned and strode to the door.  
"Hiei? Where are you going at a time like this," Kurama asked, trying to maintain some semblance of order amidst the chaos. Kuwabara looked on, his face full of bewilderment, while Yusuke put on the most apathetic face he could muster. "You heard the spirit detective Kurama, he doesn't want us here. And I for one refuse to put my life on the line again if this is what I'm going to have to deal with."  
All the eyes in the room turned to Yusuke, whose face was unreadable. As he opened his mouth to speak, a loud creaking alerted the fighters to an large door at the far side of the room that now stood open. A lone ogre exited, carrying a bundle of papers nearly three feet high. As the ogre drew even with the room's four occupants, he turned and said, "Lord Koenma will see you now."  
  
**  
  
Yusuke strode into the office, followed by Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei who, despite his earlier protestation, was curious as to what the ruler of Spirit World had to say. At the end of the large office stood four simple chairs in front of an ornate oak desk, easily seven feet long, cluttered with various files. In the desk's large backed chair sat what appeared to be a toddler, complete with a pacifier in his mouth. It was, in fact, Koenma, the centuries old ruler of the Spirit World.  
"Ah, I'm glad to see that everyone made it. Sorry for the delay," Koenma said. Never one for pleasantries such as tact, Yusuke leaned over the desk and angrily said, "Alright you toddler, it's time somebody gave me some answers! Like what it is exactly I had to trudge all the way out to Spirit Word for, that's what I have Botan for!"  
Normally Koenma would have gotten upset at the notion that he was a child. It was very difficult when one's physical body does not correspond with emotional maturity, he had been ruling while Yusuke's mother was in diapers! This time however, Koenma merely let out a long, tired sigh and looked up at his spirit detective with sorrowful eyes. "Sit down Yusuke," Koenma said softly.  
At once all of Yusuke's defenses dropped and a look of concern rose to his face. There was something in Koenma's voice that was different, a pain that was typically reserved for funerals or the bedside of a sick loved one. Sinking into a chair next to Kuwabara, directly across from Koenma, Yusuke looked on at his boss, allowing him to continue.  
"Ahem. As I was saying, I apologize for the delay and the rather unusual circumstances for this meeting, but this is a matter of grave importance that could not be communicated to you through the usual channels," Koenma paused, the four warriors sitting in front of him all noticing the strained way in which he said the last words. Continuing, "In answer to your next question Yusuke, the reason I didn't send Botan was because," Koenma paused, struggling to say the words that he must, "because I don't-I don't know where she is. She's gone missing."  
Yusuke sank further into his chair, the color draining from his face. His worst fear was being realized, he was losing a loved one. He had never had many people in his life that genuinely cared for him; his mother, Keiko, and to an extent his teammates, but Botan had been his friend. That may not sound like much, but for someone like Yusuke who could count his friends on one hand, it was a lot. Next to Yusuke, Kuwabara leapt out of his chair and roared, "WHAT? What do you mean she's gone? Where'd she go? You're supposed to be the guy that knows this kind of stuff."  
"Kuwabara," Kurama began before being cut off by Koenma. "Botan left several days ago on a reconnaissance mission to track some unusually powerful demonic energies that had been rising of late. When she missed her scheduled check in, I sent a team after her. Only one returned, beaten so badly he didn't last the night." Koenma paused, allowing this news to sink in.  
Surprisingly, Hiei was the first one to speak. "You said she was tracking a powerful demon when she disappeared." Looking the ruler of the Spirit World in the eye, Hiei asked the question that was on all their minds, but that none had wanted to vocalize. "Toguro?" Hiei asked matter-of- factly. Considering the question for a moment, Koenma finally replied, "Not exactly." Leaping to his feet, Yusuke slammed his hand on the desk. "Not exactly? NOT EXACTLY? What's that supposed to mean?" Feeling the rage and frustration he had kept pent up for the last month, Yusuke cried, "It was him wasn't it? He hurt Botan didn't he? I swear on my life that I'll make Toguro pay if he lays one finger-"  
Yusuke stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder giving him a reassuring squeeze. Turning, he saw Kurama standing next to him. "Koenma," Kurama began "could you please tell us what you mean. If Toguro was 'not exactly' the cause of Botan's disappearance then what was?" Yusuke seemed to calm a little, allowing the fox demon to take over the questioning. Koenma fidgeted as the four pairs of eyes locked on him, before he finally steadied himself and replied, "A demon called Naraku."  
The two humans remained seated, but their demon companions were suddenly on their feet, identical looks of shock on their face. "T-that's not possible. He was defeated hundreds of years ago," Kurama stammered. Shaking his head, Koenma replied "He was, but somehow the timeline has changed. I can't explain it, but-" Cutting him off mid-sentence Yusuke interjected. "Hey, how about you guys fill those of us that didn't take Demon History 101in on who this demon is that's got you so spooked."  
Koenma, Hiei and Kurama looked at each other before the fox demon turned to address the humans. "Naraku was a powerful demon that lived hundreds of years ago. It was said that he was once the most powerful being in Japan. No one that stood before him survived, including my parents-my demon parents. It was said that he was defeated by a band of warriors though, he should be dead." Waving his arm forward, Kuwabara chimed in, "So what's the big deal? We just find this Naraku guy and Botan should be nearby. Then we just beat him down," he said, looking at Yusuke as he emphasized the last part.  
"Fool. Naraku would kill you in an instant. He's as strong as Toguro, maybe even stronger," Hiei said. Rising to meet the perceived challenge by the diminutive demon, Kuwabara said, "I'm not afraid of some punk demon. Just point us in the right direction, me and Urameshi'll take care of it."  
"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Koenma interjected. "What you all don't know about Naraku is the source of his strength. The reason no demon is able to stand against him is that he has the unique ability to absorb a demon into himself, adding all of its strength into his body." Silence filled the room as they looked on at the toddler. Yusuke knew what was coming, and the thought chilled him to the bone. "Koenma, you said Toguro didn't exactly cause Botan's disappearance-" the spirit detective said warily. Nodding to confirm the unfinished thought, Koenma replied "Yes, our intelligence confirms it. Toguro was absorbed into Naraku."  
  
**  
  
Kuwabara blinked, trying to understand what had just been said. "Wait, you mean that there's a demon even stronger than Toguro out there, and now it's gonna have all of Toguro's power on top of it's own?" The silence that filled the room was all the answer the boy needed. Koenma's eyes stared down at his desk, unable to raise his gaze. Suddenly, a soft voice asked, "Where is he?"  
Everyone turned to look at Yusuke as he asked louder, "Where is he? Where can I find this Naraku?" Looking at the young man in disbelief, Koenma started, "Yusuke I don't think you understand. This demon is now more powerful than any-" His words faded as he looked into the eyes of his spirit detective, eyes that were filled with a steely determination that would not be refused. "He killed Genkai. He killed Botan. I'm going to make Toguro pay! And if he's inside another demon then I'll kill that one too! I'll do whatever it takes!"  
Koenma wanted to argue, wanted to tell him no. In actuality, the ruler of the spirit world had come to consider the young man a friend, and did not want to see him die. But he couldn't. He couldn't stop him, Yusuke would never be able to live his life while this stood over him. And he was the strongest fighter they had. "Naraku exists in our past. He used his miasma to pull Toguro to him during the Dark Tournament." Seeing that Yusuke did not like this answer, Koenma raised a hand to stop him before he could reply.  
"I can open a small portal to his time, though it will take most of my energy," Koenma said. "The problem is that we don't have any way to get you home. If you chase after Naraku you will be forever lost in the past. You will not be able to return to your time, to your loved ones." Koenma saw the boy pause as a vision of Keiko flew past his vision. She had been the only girl he ever loved; deep down a part of Yusuke had always believed that they would grow old together.  
Standing, Yusuke said, "I'm going. I have to stop him. Besides, Naraku managed to get to the present once to grab Toguro. Now that he's stronger he could cause all kinds of damage. You said yourself that the timeline changed, if I don't stop him now there may not be a future left. For any of us." Koenma couldn't say he was surprised, he had in fact been resigning himself to this possibility all day, though it still didn't make him feel any better about it. "Very well Yusuke," he replied.  
Turning to Kuwabara, Yusuke said softly, "Tell Keiko I'm sorry. And that, that I love her." His heartfelt words were met, however, with a roar. "The hell I'll tell her that. If you think I'm gonna let my best friend go face some demon and get stuck in the past without me, you're crazy." Walking over, Hiei and Kurama came to stand next to him. "Are we ready to go then?" the fox demon asked. "Look, you guys don't have to-" Yusuke began before pausing, his eyes locking with Hiei's, telling him all he needed to know. Yusuke gave him a small nod of thanks.  
"I know I can't argue with Yusuke, but the three of you is another matter. You do realize that this is a suicide mission don't you? Even with the four of you together you don't stand a chance," Koenma pleaded. "If you're done, we'll be leaving now" Hiei responded, with an edge to his voice that was unmistakable.  
Sighing, Koenma said, "You're all fools. You know that don't you?" When he was met with only a few smirks, the toddler shrugged his shoulders and held his hands out before him. A wispy yellow mist extended from his palms, forming a large oval shaped portal in the middle of the office. Without pause, Yusuke leapt through the portal, followed by his three companions. As the mist faded away, Koenma looked at the vacant office and offered a simple, "Good luck." 


	4. Faith

Chapter 4:  
  
Sango held the moist cloth in her hand, wiping Miroku's forehead tenderly. The monk lay unconscious before her, still reeling from the injuries he had suffered at Naraku's hands. He had not woken in the two days since the battle, none of the others had. A lone tear rolled down Sango's face as she recalled the horrific battle and it's aftermath.  
Miroku and Kagome had fallen after the demon's first assault. What struck Sango most though was not the force of the attack, but the nonchalant way in which it had been launched. It was as if Naraku hadn't exerted himself in the slightest, as if he was simply passing the time rather than engaging in battle. She had managed to land safely after the gale force winds pounded her, tucking her legs and rolling to avoid any major injury. She had seen Inuyasha struggling to stand. She saw the attack; the bombardment of demonic energy that felt like it was ripping the skin from her body.  
She had been lucky. A moment before his attack landed, Kirara had thrown herself in it's path, taking the brunt of the damage. Sango had watched as Naraku stood over Inuyasha and mocked him before he passed out. But it was the next moments that were burned into her consciousness. Naraku had turned to Sango, looking down on her as if she were a common rat. She had frozen, not out of pain but fear. Here was the creature that had ruined her life, that was responsible for the death of her family and the brainwashing of her little brother, and she was too frightened to move. As he walked toward her, Sango had felt her heart pounding so fiercely she thought her chest would explode. But he simply stepped over her and kept walking. Like she wasn't a threat. Like she was nothing.  
A tear rolled down her face as Sango fought against the painful memory. Suddenly, she was jerked back to reality when she heard a voice call out her name. Turning, she saw Kagome weakly sitting up. Groggily looking around the room, Kagome saw Inuyasha and Miroku lying unconscious on the other side of the room. Trying to grasp the situation, she managed to say, "W-where are we?" Kneeling next to her friend, Sango replied simply, "At Mushu's." The monk that had raised Miroku, Mushu was many things; a drunk, and a lecher among them. But Kagome knew that his loyalty was unquestionable, that for the moment they were safe. "What happened? The battle, Naraku-" Kagome began, searching for answers. "We were defeated," Sango replied, choking out the words with considerable difficulty. "I somehow managed to gather everyone together and keep the stray demons from attacking our bodies. Luckily, Miroku's servant Hachi found us and helped me get you to safety." "There was something different about him, wasn't there?" Sango asked. "We've seen Naraku increase his strength before, but never like this. His power, it was like nothing I've ever felt before. I-" she paused a moment to collect herself. "How do we even begin to fight against something like that Kagome? Kagome?" The time displaced teen sat there, lost in her thoughts as she replayed the battle over and over. It just wasn't possible. There was no way that Naraku could have gotten a- "Kagome? Are you alright?" Snapping to her senses, Kagome looked at her friend and responded, "Sorry, I was just thinking about something I saw during the battle." When she was met with a quizzical look from the demon slayer Kagome continued, "At Naraku's feet I saw a pair of sunglasses. They're small tinted lenses you wear on your face to keep the sun from shining in your eyes," Kagome explained. "The sunglasses, they were from my time." Sango did not need to hear any more to know that this turn of events was very bad. The medicines and other items Kagome brought back from her time were very powerful, if Naraku had access to this future technology he would be wielding a devastating weapon. "But how? I thought only you and Inuyasha could travel to the future through the well?" Sango pondered aloud. Shaking her head, Kagome responded, "I don't know. The only people that even know about the well are my family in the future and you guys." "Well, I suppose that would be a plausible explanation for Naraku's drastic increase in power." Kagome heard the voice come from behind Sango, and watched as the demon slayer's face quickly turned a deep shade of crimson. "Pervert!" she exclaimed, knocking his groping hand off her butt. "Yes, well. There's no telling what kind of powers Naraku's gained from his contact with your time Lady Kagome. But based on his last showing, I think it would be wise to plan our next steps very carefully," Miroku sagely advised. While Kagome nodded her agreement, Sango interjected. "I don't know," she began, "if there's anything we can do. You didn't see what I did. Naraku dispatched us so quickly, but the worst part-the worst part is that he wasn't even trying. He didn't even scratch the surface of his true power. It's over. We lost." Sango looked at her two companions, imploring them to contradict her, to convince her that it was not hopeless. "Sango, you can't be serious! Are you saying that it's pointless, that we should just sit back and let Naraku win?" Kagome asked incredulously. "After everything he's done to us, after everything he's done to YOU, we should just run and hide?" Kagome demanded, her voice rising with her anger. This was not like Sango. There was a weariness, a hopelessness to her voice that chilled Kagome to her very core. Was Naraku really that strong? "It pains me to say this, but I fear Sango may be closer to the truth than any of us would like to believe," Miroku interjected. The two girls turned to him, desperate for any answers he could provide. "My senses are more finely attuned that yours Lady Kagome, at least as far as sensing and identifying demonic energy levels." Kagome knew this statement to be true, Miroku had trained since a boy in Buddhist holy arts and demonology in an effort to defeat the one that had tormented his family with a curse for three generations. He looked down at his right hand, wrapped in prayer beads. It was his cursed hand, the hand that contained the powerful Kazanna, a wind tunnel that would consume anything. Eventually it would even consume his very body, as it had to his father and grandfather. Miroku had dedicated his life to defeating Naraku, for while the demon lived, the monk could have no future. "I felt such pain in my hand when we confronted him. I felt his power, it was.overwhelming," Miroku paused to look Kagome in her eyes. "Naraku has at least doubled, possibly tripled his strength." The weight of his words hit Kagome in the chest like a bullet. They had struggled against him before, but it had always been an even match. She had always believed they would be victorious one day, though she knew it would take all their power and cunning to do so. But now? Kagome felt a wave of fear and doubt wash over her as reality sank in. In a trembling voice she managed to say, "We can't-we can't beat him." Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she hid her face in her hands. Miroku and Sango looked on, not knowing how to ease the weight on Kagome's heart, or even their own. Exhausted from the emotional exchange, Kagome weakly stood and slowly walked across the room. She wanted to see Inuyasha's face. Somehow he had the ability to make her feel better when she was in the worst situations. As she came to Inuyasha's cot, she looked down to see him lying rigidly straight. His eyes were wide open, a single tear on his cheek.  
  
**  
  
"I-Inuyasha," Kagome began weakly. She had looked into his eyes and seen not fear or hopelessness, but pain. He sat up swiftly, his hand moving to his side as his broken ribs screamed out in pain. Kagome reached out to him, but Inuyasha knocked her hand away. It wasn't the thought of him re- injuring himself that worried Kagome however. What hit her hardest was that Inuyasha wouldn't even look at her.  
Rising to his feet, Sango by his side, Miroku took a step forward and said, "Inuyasha, you're awake." His greeting was not acknowledged, however as the hanyou strode past the two without so much as a glance. He was looking around the room, particularly at the walls and corners. "Where's my damn-" he began before stopping, the object of his search now found. Walking over a few feet, Inuyasha picked up the sheathed Tetsusaiga from it's resting place. Sliding the sword into the sash at his waist, the hanyou wordlessly made his way to the door.  
Running to his side, Kagome grabbed his arm to stop him. "Inuyasha, stop. You can't-" she began before he cut her off. "Get your hands off me. Now." His voice rang his a threatening fury that Kagome had heard many times before. Usually this tone was reserved for whatever demon was foolish enough to try to hurt her. But he had never spoken to her like this before. Sure, they had their share of fights; in fact at times they seemed to be fighting more often than not. There was something else in his voice though, a ferocity that told her this was no mere spat.  
Stepping forward to intercede, Miroku said, "Look Inuyasha, I know you're upset. But you have to understand, there's nothing more we can do. Naraku let us survive last time, but next time he won't. To face him again would be to go off to our deaths."  
"I understand," Inuyasha said, still refusing to look any of them in the eye. "I understand that you've lost faith. This isn't the first time that I've gone up against a demon stronger than me, thanks to my brother I've been doing it since I was a pup. But things have changed. You've lost faith in your strength. You've lost faith in me." His words rang through the silent room, piercing Kagome's heart like an arrow. As she stood rooted to her spot, the hanyou continued, "I'm not done yet. I've still got some fight left in me, which is more than I can say about you people. Naraku's death will be at my hands!"  
With that he strode out of the room, closing the door behind him. Now oblivious to the world around her, Kagome replayed his words in her head. Standing there, her mind confused with a thousand different thoughts and emotions, Kagome meekly muttered, "Inuyasha."  
  
**  
  
The hanyou walked away from Mushu's temple swiftly, forcing back the tears that stung the back of his eyes. He had thought they were different. Miroku and Sango had been the only friends he ever knew. To hear their words was painful enough. But then there was her. Kagome. In his life he had only known one person who had believed in him, who had total faith in his strength as a mere hanyou. She had somehow become the most important person in Inuyasha's life, but now.now she had turned her back on him. He was alone. Again.  
He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice he was being followed. A wisp of black hair caught the corner of his eyes and he turned to find her standing there. A large backpack was slung over one shoulder, a quiver of arrows over the other. In her hand, she tightly clutched her bow.  
Inuyasha stared at the girl in disbelief, so shocked that she was actually able to get the first words in. "I'm sorry. What I said back there was-" she paused, praying for words to come to her lips. "I was wrong to say it." He looked at her, obviously wanting her to continue. She had apologized, but his trust was battered. He needed to hear more. "Miroku and Sango said we can't win. Deep down a part of me knows they are right. Inuyasha, he has--he's grown stronger than I even thought possible. So strong that realistically, we don't have a shot at stopping him."  
Raising one hand to his chin, Kagome lifted his face until their eyes met. "But I still believe in you. There's a bravery and fearlessness in your heart that lets you persevere. That, and the fact that you're too stubborn to know when it's over." Kagome smiled at him before continuing. "We may be going off to our deaths, and I'm fine with that. I want to be by your side Inuyasha; I want to be with you for the good times and the bad. Please Inuyasha, please let me go with you."  
Inuyasha turned from her and started walking away. After a few steps, however, he stopped. Without turning around, he simply asked, "You coming?" A smile on her face and a tear in her eye, Kagome rushed forward until she drew even with him. As the walked, Inuyasha subtly took her hand in his, a silent acknowledgment of their bond. Before they got too far, however, Inuyasha froze. Kagome's ears perked up, immediately picking up the battle cry.  
"Hiraikotsu!" the voice shouted out, a large boomerang crashing in from their right. It struck the ground only a foot or two in front of them, leaving a deep gash in the earth. The couple turned to see the weapon returning to its master's hand. Approaching them, Sango lowered her weapon so as not to cause alarm. "Kohaku is still under Naraku's control. He's the only thing I have left; I can't leave him behind. I will see this through, to the bitter end."  
Turning his head slightly, Inuyasha asked, "I thought Naraku was unbeatable? You must be a fool to chase after him if he's so far out of your league." The edge to his voice was unmistakable, yet Sango merely nodded at him; "Perhaps I am a fool then." Kagome looked back and forth between the two, unsure of how Inuyasha would react. Crossing his arms, the hanyou responded, "Feh. Do whatever you want." Sango nodded at the two, and took up a spot next to Kagome. The trio walked together in silence for some time.  
  
**  
  
About a half-hour later, Inuyasha looked to his left at the two girls by his side. He silently thanked the gods for having people in his life that cared for him. Of all the pains he had known in his life, with all the battle wounds and scars, the greatest pain he had known was that of loneliness. Inuyasha had faith in his strength, but did not think he was strong enough to face that pain again.  
Inuyasha's thoughts were interrupted, however, when he saw Kagome and Sango's eyes bulge out of their heads, their faces both twisting into twisted masks of rage. A cry of "PERVERT!" rang through the hills, and Miroku stood behind the ladies with a pair of matching palm shaped bruises on his face. Sango launched into a tirade about respecting the sanctity of women when Inuyasha cut her off, asking, "What are you doing here?" Thankful to extract himself from the sea of enraged estrogen; Miroku stepped forward and said, "Sorry for my lateness. It took me a while before I managed to revive Shippo and Kirara."  
Ready to launch into another accusing verbal barrage, Inuyasha was stopped by a hand on his arm. Kagome looked at him, asking, "Are we ready to go? Naraku isn't going to defeat himself." Relenting, Inuyasha marched on, a wave of contentness washing over him. His friends had returned to him, ready to face whatever challenges stood before them. They would defeat Naraku. It may cost them their lives, Inuyasha mused, but if it did he knew that they would go down together. 


	5. Investigation

Chapter 5:  
  
A loud crack ripped through the air. Confusion would abound had anyone been in the area to hear it; thunder? The sky was clear, the sun hung low in the sky, morning had just arrived. Another crack permeated the small forest as a large yellow portal appeared amidst a grouping of trees. From this opening leapt a young man with black hair, landing in a crouch. As he surveyed the area, prepared for battle at a moment's notice, two demons appeared behind him. The minute their feet touched the ground they were off, darting through the trees with preternatural speed. Moments before the portal closed, a final figure emerged, landing rather awkwardly on his head.  
Appearing next to him, Hiei shook his head, "You fool. How can you rest at a time like this?" the demon asked to the prone boy. Leaping to his feet, Kuwabara roared, "I wasn't resting! I was just.putting my ear to the ground to see if I could hear any approaching footsteps!" he answered confidently. "Idiot. To think that Yukina would even give a thought to such an uncoordinated, ugly weakling like yourself is laughable." The young ice apparition was Hiei's sister, though all but Kuwabara and Yukina herself knew this fact. "Why you little-" Kuwabara began, raising his fists.  
"That's enough," Yusuke interjected. "Hiei, Kurama, I assume that there's no demons in the area then?" the spirit detective asked. Turning, the two combatants saw that the fox demon had returned from his brief scouting sojourn. "I didn't detect anything in the immediate area," Kurama replied. The only reply from Hiei was a short grunt, that Yusuke took to be a negative.  
Their answers hadn't really surprised him, things were never that easy for Yusuke. "Well then, let's get moving," he began, turning around and walking toward a small path that lay to his right. "Uh, Yusuke?" Kurama asked tentatively, "Are you sure that is the right direction to travel in?" Turning back t his comrades, the spirit detective replied, "Haven't got a clue."  
"You mean you're just guessing?" the incredulous question arose from Hiei. "Pretty much," Yusuke responded, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Look, we don't know jack about where we are, where Botan is or much of anything about this uber-demon we're chasing. I say we just pick a direction and start walking, unless any of you have a better idea." When he got no response, Yusuke turned and continued walking, his three companions quickly following suit.  
  
**  
  
After walking for an hour or two, Kuwabara felt his face flush as the anger within him rose. Picking up his pace until he was even with their fearless leader, Kuwabara said, "Dammit Urameshi, don't you know where you're going?" Stopping and turning to him, Yusuke replied, "I thought I made it petty clear before that I didn't." Not satisfied with this answer, Kuwabara bellowed, "That's not good enough! We're just walking around this forest like a bunch of idiots! We've gotta find this demon now! I have to get back home, I've got things to do."  
Ignoring for a moment the fact that they had no way to return to their time, Yusuke decided to humor his friend, "Yeah, like what?" Standing very tall and puffing out his chest a bit, Kuwabara replied, "I should be spending time with my sweet Yukina!" When he saw three pairs of eyes roll at his answer, the boy continued, "It's true! What we have is special; our bond of love is strong enough to reach out across time. Besides, you don't run across girls of such beauty and grace everyday!"  
Before he could continue his speech on the power of love, Kuwabara felt something crash into him from the side, knocking him to the ground. Blinking in shock, he found the culprit was a beautiful young girl. Her long black hair was tied back to keep it out of her perfectly sculpted face. Kuwabara looked at her, thinking that she was remarkably developed for a girl their age. But what Yusuke was looking at was her eyes, eyes that were full of fear.  
"Run! We must run! There are demons coming," the girl exclaimed. Stepping forward, Hiei remarked, "Finally we're going to see some action on this trip." Looking on at the four men, the girl was dumbfounded at their reaction, they did no seem to be concerned at all. Could they be a troupe of demon slayers?  
Taking her hand in his protectively, Kuwabara led the girl to the trunk of a large tree a short distance from the clearing in which they stood. As he maneuvered her behind it, he said, "Stay here. You should be safe as long as you don't let them see where you're hiding. We'll take care of these demons." With that, he turned and strode to a spot next to his fellow warriors.  
A moment later the trees before them that the girl had emerged from were ripped from the ground with such force that it overwhelmed the spirit detective's senses. Standing before Team Urameshi was a large ogre-like creature, wielding a giant spiked club. Around it, dozens of smaller demons congregated, yearning for whatever scraps of flesh the more powerful demon may leave behind. With another swing of it's weapon, the ogre uprooted a large swath of vegetation, sending trees flying off into the horizon. "I'll take the big one," Yusuke told his friends, "You guys handle the rest?" Their nods were all the reply the spirit detective needed. "All right then, let's go!" he cried as they leapt into battle.  
  
**  
  
Hiei felt his blood boiling, burning like a white-hot flame. The same feeling came over him every time he took up a battle. It was the inner rage that drove him on, that let him fight so fiercely even when he was totally outclassed. He was mad at the world, mad at his life. He was mad at the man he had become, a man that was so dangerous he shunned his own sister, so as to avoid her the shame of being his brother and the danger that came with it, to allow her a better life.  
These thoughts rose to Hiei's mind as he charged into the wave of demons. It was his driving force, allowing him to move faster and hit harder than would be otherwise possible. The fire demon ran only at three- quarters of his max speed, yet this was more than adequate. He darted between clusters of demons, slashing at them with his katana. As he sliced at the main artery of what appeared to be a large floating snake, Hiei saw the blood splatter through the air, soaking everything within a five meter radius. Not a drop landed on Hiei's cloak, as he quickly used his impressive speed to move on to the next demon.  
Seeing a rather menacing three headed boar charging at him, Hiei seamlessly leapt into the air, flipping over and landing on the creature's back. The beast seemed oblivious to the passenger it now carried, however. It was overtaken in a blood lust, charging the kitsune before it. Seeing the intended target before the beast with it's back turned to them, Hiei cursed, drawing his sword once again. He plunged the blade into it's head; the center head. Howling with pain, the boar's front legs gave out, it's heads crashing to the ground.  
Leaping from its back, Hiei landed behind Kurama. The two stood back to back, each battling their own demon. "You're getting sloppy Kurama," the fire demon commented. "On the contrary Hiei," he replied, "I felt you were on top of the situation, so I saw no need to intervene." Groaning at the redhead's bad pun, Hiei chanced a look across the battlefield to where the two humans fought.  
Kuwabara stood, his Spirit Sword at the ready, before launching himself into another group of demons. Had they possessed more than the basic cognitive functions, the demons might have noticed that the boy stood in one area, protecting an outcropping of trees behind him. Fortunately, they were more concerned with the warm meal before him than with what it might be hiding. Another wave came upon him, Kuwabara slashing as quickly as he could at the beasts surrounding him. Demon corpses lay all around him, but as the battle raged Kuwabara felt fatigue setting in. He knew they could not keep this up much longer.  
About thirty meters away, Yusuke easily dodged another swing of the mighty ogre's club. While it had a distinct strength advantage, the spirit detective knew that he would have to utilize his strength and agility if he were to emerge victorious. Rolling under the ogre's spread legs, Yusuke leapt off the ground toward a tree. Pushing off the trunk, he was able to get enough height to bring himself even with its face. Gathering his spirit energy in his fists, Yusuke threw a punch at the demon, landing his blow right between its eyes.  
The ogre howled out in pain for a moment, but Yusuke quickly saw that save a small scar on its face, he had done no major damage. Looking across the battlefield, Yusuke saw Hiei and Kurama together to one side, surrounded by demons. Near the clearing where the young girl hid, Kuwabara was also fighting the monsters off, though their forces were slowly overcoming him. Shaking his head and turning back to his opponent, Yusuke cursed. "I really didn't want to waste this so early," he said. The spirit detective closed him right fist, leaving only his index finger extended. Energy began to gather at his fingertip as the ogre charged him. Yusuke calmly brought his hand up, taking a bead on the oncoming brute. When it finally drew close enough, Yusuke yelled, "Spirit Gun!" and fired. The blast that erupted from his finger was more than powerful enough to rip a hole in the ogre's chest. Collapsing to the ground, the ogre's life quickly drained from its body, blood staining the ground. At this, the lesser demons all disengaged their combatants, looking on at the greater, fallen demon. While they may not have possessed much wisdom, the demons were smart enough to know power when they felt it. Self-preservation overriding their hunger, the demons fled. The battle had been won.  
  
**  
  
The combatants regrouped near Kuwabara, as the boy called out to the forest, "It's okay, you can come out now. The demons are all gone." Tentatively, the girl peeked her head out from behind the trunk of the large tree, her eyes widening at shock at the scene that lay before her. Demon corpses lay throughout the once lush field. The four men stood before her, with only a few minor cuts and tears in their clothing.  
Running out to them, the girl threw her arms around Kuwabara's neck. "Thank you! Thank you all so very much. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come along." His face reddening, Kuwabara found it impossible to form any words, so Kurama spoke first. "Ah, excuse me ma'am, but why exactly were those demon chasing you?"  
Extracting herself from Kuwabara's arms, the girl looked at him with much curiosity, finally saying, "You do not know of the increased demonic presence that has risen of late?" Shaking his head, Kurama tactfully replied, "I'm afraid not. You see, we are traveler's from a distant land, we are not familiar with recent occurrences in this area."  
The girl's face brightened immensely. She stepped closer to the group, asking, "You are demon slayers from a foreign land, are you not? You have come to help us?" Her eyes locked with Kurama's, her desperation apparent within. Hiei moved to contradict the girl, but Kurama cut her off, saying, "We will do what we can." The girl's face light up once more, and this time the fox demon was the one caught in her tight embrace.  
"Yes, well then," the demon said, his face turning a light shade of crimson. "Can you tell us exactly what happened? Perhaps you can start by telling us when this problem began." Nodding, the girl walked over to a short tree stump that jutted from the ground, sitting down on it, glad for a moment's rest. "I suppose it got really bad about a month ago. The sky turned purple and cracks of thunder could be heard throughout the valley. After that day the number of demons seemed to increase, as did their propensity to attack humans."  
Yusuke's face turned grim. It had been one month ago that Toguro had disappeared, presumably to the past. The timing of this rise in demonic activity was no coincidence. Continuing, the girl said, "Most of the men in my village have been killed trying to fight off these demons. They have grown more daring, launching repeated attacks against our village. Our wise village elder sent me to search for demon slayers strong enough to stop this new threat." Waving his hand in front of him, Kuwabara interrupted. "Don't worry! We'll take care of these demons in no time."  
Yusuke made a mental note to smack him later on. They had bigger fish to fry, and Botan was still missing, the time it could take at this village could mean the difference between her life and death! "There's more," the girl said, interrupting Yusuke's thought process. "The reason the elder sent me out so recently was because he sensed a demon of great power passing through the area. He said our village would fall before such power!" Rage rising within him, Yusuke felt his spirit energy rising, his eyes filled with a blue force. "This powerful demon, where is he?"  
  
**  
  
They had dropped the young girl off at her village, which was thankfully nearby. After briefly speaking with the village elder, that had been able to determine only that it was very powerful and it was heading west. That had been nearly an hour ago, as they traveled further into the thick forest. Suddenly, Kuwabara froze. "I'm getting a weird feeling from that direction," he said.  
Pushing through the last of the dense vegetation, the group came to a sharp cliff face, or what was left of it. Deep gashes were raggedly torn into the solid rock, debris littered the area. What struck Yusuke the most though was that the forest just stopped before the rocks. It was if the plant life had been extended further, but where it once stood there was now nothing. There should be some traces of life left, some charred leaves or a torn branch. It was almost as if it had been completely vaporized. But what was powerful enough to do such a thing.  
"Uh, guys," Kuwabara called out nervously. "Yes, I sense it too." Kurama replied. While Yusuke's senses may not be as sharp as the others, he did hear the rustling behind them. Turning quickly, the spirit detective saw that their stalker had already spun and darted off into the forest. Cursing to himself for not reacting quicker, Yusuke now knew that this creature had been tracking them while the knew nothing about it, not even what it's face looked like. The only distinctive feature he could make out on the now distanced figure was a long mane of white hair.  
Quickly taking up pursuit, Team Urameshi leapt after the unknown intruder. Hiei took the lead, darting faster than Yusuke's eyes could track. The three others followed, keeping a tight formation in the event an ambush lie waiting for them. Following the fire demon's back was easier said then done however. Several times they lost sight of Hiei, had it not been for Kuwabara's heightened spirit awareness and Kurama's keen sense of smell they most probably would have been left in the dust. Yusuke quickly realized his situation had spiraled from bad down to worse. In following the mysterious figure, they had been led on a series of sharp twists and turns through the forest floor and the high treetops. After a considerably length of time, the spirit detective realized that he had lost all sense of direction within the wall of trees. It seemed that they were either being toyed with or worn out, neither of which were very appealing options.  
Seeming to come to the same conclusion as Yusuke, Hiei suddenly slowed, bringing himself even with the others. Locking eyes to confirm their suspicions with each other, the two stopped short, Kurama and Kuwabara nearly crashing into their backs. Surveying their surroundings, the group found themselves facing the same wall of rock they had started at. Dropping down behind them stood a lone warrior, his white hair flowing out behind him. Moving a hand to the hilt of the sword at his side he demanded, "Who dares challenge the great Sesshomaru?" 


	6. Encounters

Chapter 6:  
  
Yusuke cocked his head at the demon standing before him, a smirk rising to his face. "The name is Yusuke Urameshi, and in case you were wondering, I'm a spirit detective." Looking closer at the demon continued to inflate the young man's sense of superiority, it only had one arm! Had he kept his cool, Yusuke might have noticed that this opponent was more than the pushovers he had fought earlier in the day.  
Had the spirit detective remained calm, he might have noticed the tense look on Kuwabara's face, or picked up on Kurama, who had been rooted to one spot. He had not moved; it seemed that he would have ignored the entire process of breathing, had his body not done so automatically. Taking a step forward, Yusuke demanded, "Alright, listen up! You're going to tell me exactly what the source of this rise in demonic activity is, and you're going to tell me exactly where it lives. And if you start talking right now, I might be nice and only break one of your legs."  
Sesshomaru looked at the ragtag collection of humans and demons before him. He gave them a derisive snort of laughter that was rather uncharacteristic of the normally stoic man. "Impudent whelp. To think that you deserve to even stand in my presence is laughable, but the thought of you engaging me in battle is sheer lunacy. Consider yourselves lucky that you have crossed me on this day, for I shall allow you to escape with your miserable lives."  
Turning to walk away, Sesshomaru wondered why he had spared the fools. Not long ago, the demon lord would have slaughtered the lot of them for merely having the audacity to raise their voices to him. Now—now he was sparing the lives of these humans. He was getting as bad as that worthless half brother of his! The cause of this change, however, was well known in his mind. It was Rin, the young human girl that traveled with him. She had brought out a warmth in him, a fatherly protectiveness that was almost...human. Internally shuddering at the idea, Sesshomaru pushed the thought out of his mind. The last thing the demon wanted was to become like his father.  
"Hey! Get back here!" the dark haired boy yelled. He seemed to be the leader of their group, either that or the others were so timid the chose to allow the loudmouth to speak for them. Without pause, a diminutive demon at the boy's side let out a battle cry, charging at him. He shouldn't be surprised, Sesshomaru told himself, some fools are just hopeless.  
Yusuke saw Hiei charging at the demon, moving at what one could only assume was his top speed. Like the rest of them, the fire demon was undoubtedly annoyed at their foes superior attitude and the way he led them around on a fool's errand. As Hiei drew closer, Sesshomaru gracefully turned to face him, a disinterested look on his face. Casually raising his one arm, he waited for the fire demon to come within arm's length. A moment before Hiei could land his blow, Sesshomaru struck, backhanding the shorter man with enough force to send him flying away. The demon's body crashed through a nearby tree trunk, tumbling across the forest floor for a good twenty meters.  
What amazed Yusuke the most was not the force of the blow but the speed. Sesshomaru's arm had moved so fast, faster than any of their eyes could keep up with. Even Hiei, renowned throughout Spirit World as one of the fastest demons alive, didn't see it coming. The weight of reality finally sinking in, Yusuke knew that this would not be an easy fight, that this was no ordinary demon. That they were down one member, as Hiei lay unconscious of the forest floor did not help matters either.  
"Okay, so you've got some speed, but let's see you dodge this!" Yusuke called out, charging the Spirit Gun in his finger. The demon across from him did not seem the slightest bit inclined to move from his spot however. Lowering his hand to his waist, the demon grasped the hilt on the unsheathed sword he carried there. Not wanting to miss his opening, Yusuke saw his shot and fired. The bolt of pure energy rocketed toward the demon, easily twice as fast as Hiei had been moving. Sesshomaru casually drew his sword, looking on disinterestedly at the oncoming attack.  
A moment before the energy engulfed him; Sesshomaru brought his sword up in a graceful crescent swing from his feet to his head. The blade made contact with Yusuke's blast, neatly slicing the energy bullet in two. Landing to either side of his, the remaining energy caused massive explosions to erupt around the demon. Stepping out of the flaming chaos around him, Sesshomaru brought his sword up again. Menacingly looking over the remnants of Team Urameshi, he said, "Now, you will taste the full power of Tojkijin!"  
  
**  
  
Yusuke fought back the dread that slowly creeped through his stomach. He had used his strongest attack against this demon, and there wasn't even a scratch on it! Fighting the urge to turn and run, the spirit detective stood tall; he had a fallen comrade that he was not going to leave behind, and he doubted very much that Sesshomaru would simply let them take Hiei and leave.  
"I've got a bad feeling Urameshi," Kuwabara stammered off to his right. Kurama merely stood in silence, still immobile in the same spot. The battered warriors saw Sesshomaru bring his sword back, knowing that this battle would soon come to a close. The demon lord swiftly brought his sword down in a slashing motion before him, screaming out "Die!" A massive wave of energy erupting from the blade, engulfing the remaining fighters.  
Releasing the true might of Tojkijin, Sesshomaru turned to leave, not bothering to look over the carcasses of the fools that had opposed him. The thought of them surviving was almost comical. Nobody survived that attack. Nobody except Inuyasha. But that, Sesshomaru had told himself, was only because his father's fang protected him. Because of this, when he heard the boy's voice call out to him, Sesshomaru felt a wave of shock wash over him.  
"H-hey! I'm not done yet." Turning, the demon lord saw the boy propped up on one knee, weakly attempting to stand. Next to him, another human lay battered and unconscious, but was still alive. By his side, the remaining demon kneeled before a pool of his own blood as it gathered on the forest floor. "Now like I was saying, I've got some questions and you're gonna answer them! Now, where's Naraku?"  
As he stood over the beaten human, Sesshomaru shook his head. It was exceedingly rare for a human to stand against him. But it was unheard of for one to take one of his attacks head on and still have the energy to speak, much less stand. It wouldn't make any difference against this new body of Naraku's, Sesshomaru mused, but it was impressive nonetheless. "I don't have the slightest idea where that vermin is hiding," the demon lord began. "It doesn't matter. He is too powerful for a pathetic human like you to face." Turning, Sesshomaru looked to the sky. The sun now hung almost directly overhead. Cursing himself for wasting so much time, the demon walked away from the fallen warriors. Rin and Jaken were waiting for him.  
The demon vanished in a blur, using his inhuman speed to propel him forward. Yusuke struggled to his feet to give chase, but a hand held him back. Turning, he saw Kurama next to him. "What are you doing, he's going to get away!" the boy exclaimed. A stern look on his face, Kurama replied, "What would you have us do then? Two of our friends are incapacitated and we are injured ourselves. There is no way we could defeat a demon such as Sesshomaru in such a state. Also remember that we have no reason to believe that he is involved in any of this."  
"What do you mean? He's a demon! What, are we just supposed to take his word-" Yusuke began before trailing off, meeting his friend's eyes. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" he began before stopping as Kurama held a hand out before him. "It's alright. Besides, we have more pressing matters to attend to," the demon said before kneeling down next to Kuwabara.  
After gathering the still unconscious Hiei, Yusuke and Kurama had made camp, wanting to attend to their injuries before they grew worse. Finishing up the bandaging on Kuwabara, Yusuke turned to his redheaded friend and asked, "This Sesshomaru guy, you've heard of him before?" Remaining silent for a moment, the demon finally replied, "I have heard of him, yes. Sesshomaru was the demon lord of the Western Lands, one of the most powerful of his time. He was said to be quite refined, the true definition of nobility."  
Nodding as he absorbed this information, Yusuke finally asked, "Was? If demons like that live for centuries, wouldn't he still be around in our time?" Shaking his head, Kurama responded, "No. Nobody exactly knows what happened to Sesshomaru, only that he disappeared one day. As this was shortly before my birth, I have no knowledge of his fate either."  
The two remained silent for a long while after that. Staring out into the dense forest around them, Yusuke assessed his situation. He was stuck in the past, chasing a demon that was strong enough to eat his greatest rival. He was pretty banged up from the multiple battles he had fought in that morning, with two of his friends out of commission; for how long he did not know. The demon that had taken them out was strong, but probably not nearly as strong as the one they were chasing. But worst of all, Yusuke realized, was that he had no idea what he should do next.  
  
**  
  
Inuyasha's body tensed, his acute sense of smell immediately alerting him to her presence. Darting behind a tree, the hanyou immediately reached for the hilt of Tetsusaiga. Following his lead, Kagome and the others adopted similar hiding places nearby. Straining her eyes, Kagome could not see anything to justify Inuyasha's caution, but she knew that his heightened senses could pick up trouble much sooner than a human's.  
Scanning the area, Kagome saw the lush forest gradually thinned out, giving way to a rocky outcropping overlooking the sea. The rocks were constantly buffeted by the waves crashing down against them, a rhythmic pattern of water encroaching on the earth, only to retreat and begin again anew. Drawing her attention away from the ocean, Kagome eventually noticed a small opening in the rock, what seemed to be the entrance to a cave.  
As if on cue to coincide with her thoughts, a figure emerged from the opening. The team recognized her instantly, and Kagome could hear Inuyasha gritting his teeth several feet away. The wind sorceress Kagura surveyed her surroundings, as a strong breeze began to grow around her.  
Starting to rise, Inuyasha began to unsheathe his sword. Kagura was the wicked hellspawn of Naraku, she would undoubtedly be able to point them in his direction and then, Inuyasha mused, he would kill her for all the pain she had caused his friends. Before he could fully stand and reveal himself, however, the hanyou found a hand on his shoulder forcefully pulling him back down. Turning, eyes full of rage, Inuyasha saw Miroku crouching down beside him.  
"Get your damn hands off me monk," the hanyou quietly growled at the man beside him. "Inuyasha," Miroku said softly, "what do you think a demon as powerful as Kagura is doing sitting around a small cave in the middle of nowhere?" As this thought played over his mind, the solution suddenly hit him like a bolt of lightning. Kagura was guarding whatever was in that cave. Inuyasha didn't know what was down there, but if Naraku was willing to spare Kagura to defend it then it must be important.  
His thoughts were interrupted, however, as he felt the wind picking up. The gentle breeze grew into strong gusts of wind, whipping through the air as Kagura pulled a small white feather from her hair. Using her demonic power, she transformed the feather into a giant version of itself, nearly six feet in length. Inuyasha watched as the gale forces picked up the feather, with Kagura on top of it, and blew her away into the horizon.  
Having seen the demon's preferred method of transportation many times before, this display did not surprise Inuyasha. Nevertheless, the group remained in their hiding spot for several minutes, searching for any signs of a trap. Finally satisfied the path was clear, the group carefully made their way toward the cave entrance.  
The cave was small, barely larger then her living room back home, Kagome thought. The dank walls dripped with the small traces of sea water, and the smell of salt and brine was nearly overpowering. As her eyes scanned the tight area, Kagome's heart skipped a beat. She stared at the room's occupant, having no idea how to proceed. Silence filled the cave walls, until Sango managed to gasp, "K-Kohaku?" 


	7. Reunion

Chapter 7:  
  
"Kohaku?" Sango asked again, barely able to choke out his name. She forced away her gathering tears, looking on at the boy to make sure her eyes were not playing tricks on her. The young demon slayer that had wiped out his entire tribe stood and turned to face the group, drawing his weapon. He had been crouching before the prone form of an unconscious woman, but this thought did not register in Sango's mind, for she had found her brother!  
"Brother! I can't believe I've finally found you, I've been searching-" the overjoyed girl began before ducking and rolling to the side, narrowly avoiding the sickle Kohaku had launched in her direction. Sango brought up her Hiraikotsu to block another blow as the boy's weapon came darting toward her chest. Holding the giant boomerang before her, Sango blocked blow after blow from the boy, who did not move from his spot before the body.  
Behind her, Inuyasha knew something was very wrong. Kohaku's memory of his family and former life had been wiped out by Naraku, but otherwise he seemed to be a normal person most of the time. Even when the demon exerted direct control over the boy, there was still a faint glimmer of humanity behind his soulless eyes. Now, however, Inuyasha saw nothing in the boy's gaze; it was as if...as if he were nothing more than a mere puppet. A chill ran down his spine as the thought entered Inuyasha's mind, with his increased strength Naraku had also increased his hold on his pawn. It might not be possible to reach the boy anymore, he may be lost to them.  
"We've gotta do something Sango, you can't keep this up forever," the hanyou yelled up to the demon slayer as her battle in the cramped cave raged on. She knew he was right, that this would soon come to an end. Already she felt fatigue setting into her muscles, her reaction to the deadly accuracy of her brother's 'attacks were slowing. She had to do something; she had to end this.  
Suddenly, Sango dropped her weapon and stepped forward, raising her arms above her head to indicate to the boy that she would fight no longer. For the first time Kohaku paused in his unyielding, ruthless assault to just look at her. Feeling a faint smile forming at the corner of her lips, Sango began to speak to her little brother.  
Before she could get any words out, however, it hit her. Intense pain coursed through her body as she looked down to her left shoulder where Kohaku's sickle lay buried in her flesh. A normal girl might have freaked out or lost consciousness, but Sango had known pain in her life; too much pain. With her good arm, Sango grabbed the chain attached to the blade buried in her body, holding it firmly in place. Kohaku gave a tug in an effort to retrieve his weapon, but it was for naught; Sango would not give up.  
"Kohaku, my brother," Sango began. "I know what you've been through, the horrors that you've had to face. It hurts, hurts more than you thought was even possible. When you wake up each morning, your heart feels so heavy with sorrow you feel like you can't even sit up, even raise your chest off the ground. But you have to get up! You have to keep on living, keep on going. You can't...you can't run away from the pain, because it won't go away; it will only get worse."  
Sango moved her hand to the blade in her shoulder, dislodging it with a sharp yank. Her hand instantly moved over the open wound that was now spilling her blood on the rocky cave floor. "I know the pain you feel, because I feel the same thing," she said to him. "It's hard at first, but there are people to help you through it. I have my friends," she told him, motioning to the people standing behind her. "You have me. This blood-" she started, holding her blood covered right hand up to him, "is the same as yours. We are the same, we are family. No matter what you do to me, I will always be here for you. I love you brother."  
The boy before her began trembling, fighting an invisible battle that only he could see. As a lone tear rolled down his cheek, the boy almost whispered, "Sister?" The soft words rang loudly in Sango's heart as she slowly nodded. Kohaku took a step forward before dropping to his knees, clutching his head. "NO! Get out of my head!" the boy screamed. Suddenly, he leapt to his feet, pushing past Sango and her friends as he ran from the cave. Sango moved to follow him, but collapsed sharply to the ground, her injuries taking their toll.  
Inuyasha made to follow the boy when Sango cried out his name. Turning, he saw the demon slayer attempting to rise to one knee. As Miroku moved to help her up, Sango told her friends, "Let him go. I think—I think I actually got through to him. He'll come back to me...when he's ready." Inuyasha nodded, understanding the message Sango did not want to say; she did not want her brother at her side, not when they were off to confront Naraku once and for all.  
Sango let out a sharp yelp from where she stood, propped up against Miroku. The monk clearly had his attention elsewhere, letting his grasp loosen enough to allow Sango's body to slip a few inches, putting undue pressure on her shoulder. Miroku didn't notice as he looked on to the young woman that Kohaku had been standing guard over. She was truly a stunning beauty, but there was one thing that stood out above all the physical endowments that his eyes usually focused on. Asking himself again, Miroku wondered; just what kind of girl has blue hair?  
  
**  
  
A few hours later, the blue haired girl stirred slightly then shot bolt upright, warily looking around at her surroundings. "So, you're awake," a voice to her side said. Next to her, Botan saw a young girl about Yusuke's age, her long black hair drawn back into a tight ponytail. She could see heavy bandaging on the girl's shoulder, and silently wondered if she was in some sort of hospital.  
That thought quickly vanished as she looked around, discovering she was lying on the ground in what appeared to be a small clearing surrounded by trees. What sent a chill down her spine, however, was the white haired demon bounding toward her. She screamed as it landed less than a foot in front of her, and curtly demanded, "Alright, who are you? What were you doing in that cave?"  
Botan knew she was in trouble. Her oar was nowhere in sight, so she wouldn't be able to fly away; and she doubted she could outrun the demon before her. "Inuyasha, please. I don't think that's really any way to treat our guest." Another man appeared behind the demon, thankfully this one was a human. As she looked at the robes he wore, Botan deduced that he must be some sort of Buddhist monk. As he kneeled next to Botan, the monk softly told her, "Now just relax milady, I won't allow any harm to come to you. I will strive to make you as comfortable as possible."  
At this point Botan let out another yelp of shock as she realized that the monk had managed reach over and begin to grope her—"Lecher!" the injured girl yelled as she hit the monk with a boomerang nearly larger than she was. Before the girl could hit him again, however, they were interrupted as the demon yelled, "Hey! I asked you a question girl." Botan panicked, her mind racing for any somewhat plausible story she could give him. Botan mused for a second on just telling him that she was the grim reaper from several hundred years into the future. No, she told herself, the truth was definitely out of the question.  
"Inuyasha?" a girl's voice came questioningly from behind the demon. Sharply the demon that Botan assumed was named Inuyasha, turned. When Botan saw the girl her eyes widened in shock. She was wearing...no it couldn't be. Rubbing her eyes though, Botan looked again and was sure of it; the girl was wearing a school uniform from her time! Had this girl also been trapped in the past? But if so, Botan wondered, how did it happen? She had ventured back in time to spy on a very powerful demon, and not too well as her bruised body proved, but this girl—she seemed like a typical human girl, not a supernatural spy like her. Resolving herself, Botan's voracious curiosity outweighed her common sense.  
"Um, excuse me. Those clothes, where did you get them?" Botan asked, speaking to the group for the first time. Blinking, the girl began to answer before Inuyasha cut her off, "Don't you worry about her, worry about me!" he said, flashing his claws. Ignoring the demon, Botan again asked her, "Please, I know what those clothes are. Just answer me one question, what year were you born?"  
The question seemed to silence the whole group, as their eyes locked in on her. "W-what?" Kagome asked in utter confusion. This girl that Kohaku had been guarding, she recognized my school uniform didn't she? Could she be from my time? Looking at the girl, Kagome was absolutely clueless as to her identity or the reason Naraku had chosen two of his minions to guard her. Kagome did know, however, that simply coming from her time was not enough to assure this girl's trustworthiness. The possibility of a potential trap fresh on her mind, Kagome decided to try her hand at interrogation. Trying to look as intimidating as possible, Kagome told the blue haired girl, "Alrght, you're going to tell us everything about who you are, where you came from and what you're doing here, otherwise-" the girl said, turning to Inuyasha, "I'm going to have my demon here EAT YOU!"  
Leaping to his feet, Inuyasha angrily asked, "What's that supposed to mean, huh?" Her face turning redder, Kagome attempted to whisper to him, "Look Inuyasha, I'm just trying to scare her a little. I didn't mean-" She was sharply cut off, however, as the hanyou very loudly asked, "So that's how you think of me, as a viscous human-eating demon?" As the two argued back and forth, Botan realized there was something very unusual about the group. She wanted to know how this girl had wound up in Feudal Japan, and the only way she could do that was to come clean. "OK," she said, interrupting the two combatants. "I'll tell you everything."  
  
**  
  
It was still hard for Kagome to believe it. She looked over at Botan who was walking a few feet ahead of her, Inuyasha next to her. He hadn't believed her story at first; none of them had really. But even after convincing Kagome by drawing her into a discussion about their favorite sappy love movies, the hanyou had still remained wary of the blue haired grim reaper. He had told her that one wrong move would be all it took for him to finish her off, and even now as he walked next to her he was constantly watching her, looking for any sign of danger she might pose to his friends.  
Learning about the Spirit World had been quite a shock for the young girl. It didn't surprise her that demons still existed in her time of course, but it was shocking that they had a whole other world to live in. Botan had explained to the group that Spirit World served as a waystation for human souls traveling between the mortal existence they once enjoyed and their next plane of existence.  
This magical realm has existed since the dawn of time, Botan explained, but it wasn't until King Yama assumed leadership that Spirit World evolved into it's present form. Yama was the one that opened the doors to give his people (demons) a land where they could live with their own kind, free from the lowly humans they despised. It wasn't for many years, however, that Spirit World had become more populous, as human technology and warfare advanced to the point where they posed a genuine threat to the demons natural powers.  
But while the others seemed fascinated by Botan's history lesson, Inuyasha's one-track mind had locked in on her involvement with Naraku. The girl claimed she was spying on the demon in order to ascertain his current power level, to learn whether he would be able to further alter history. She had been caught, however, and Naraku, not knowing what Botan was, decided to study her in order to learn whether or not she would be useful in a new body.  
As they had sat around their campsite, Kagome remembered the conversation they had. "So Botan," Miroku had asked, "now that you've been freed of Naraku's imprisonment, why are you still here? As you said you were ordered to observe him, wouldn't you be required to report your findings to your superiors by now?" A look of sorrow had crossed the girl's face when she confessed to them, "Well, truth be told there is no way to get back to my time. The reason I was sent was because as an apparition I don't have to worry about dying of old age. I was to gain all the data I could on Naraku, then hide myself and wait a couple of centuries until I could report back to Lord Koenma in my original time."  
"So you're just supposed to sit around for that long and let time pass by you?" Sango had asked incredulously. Faintly smiling, the girl softly replied, "Bingo." It was at that time that Kagome, much to Inuyasha's condemnation had told the girl of the Bone Eater's Well that served as a portal between the ages. Telling the apparition her secret was a risk, Kagome knew, but she believed her story; it was too ridiculous not to really. Besides that, there was so much the girl knew about her time, little things like humming a popular song or quoting a famous movie. There was no way she could fake that, Kagome knew.  
Miroku and Sango had trusted Kagome's judgment in the matter, and Botan's healing powers had come in quite useful in treating Sango's wounds, which were now nearly healed. Inuyasha of course had not believed a word of the story, but he didn't trust anybody outside of their little group. His overprotectiveness HAD saved her life on more than one occasion, so the girl was easy on him. At least Kagome felt it was easy, it was only one sit after all...  
Kagome's thoughts were interrupted when she collided into Inuyasha's back, not realizing that the hanyou had stopped in his tracks. Now snapped out of the little world Kagome had been in, even without enhanced demon senses she realized they were in trouble. Up ahead, waves of demons charged toward them; a demon army ready for battle.  
  
**  
  
Inuyasha cursed to himself as he withdrew Tetsusaiga from his hip. That girl had led the demons right to them, he just knew it! Making a mental note to kill the girl later, the hanyou raced forward to meet the enemy head on. Bringing his sword down, Inuyasha yelled, "Kaze no Kizu!" unleashing a massive blast of yellow energy that incinerated several dozen demons.  
Charging into the fray of demons, Inuyasha slashed at anything that moved within his range of sight. His nose told him that Miroku and Sango were somewhere off to his left, entangled in their own mess of demons. Using his senses to search further, Inuyasha realized as he decapitated an ugly rat demon that Kagome was still right where he left her, next to that traitorous Botan.  
Turning to face the girls, the hanyou saw Kagome unleash a purifying arrow into a cluster of demons that got too close, instantly turning them to ashes. Seeing a crop of blue hair behind her, Inuyasha cried out, "Kagome! Get away from that blue haired scum!" Seeing the girl make no attempt to move, Inuyasha cursed her for seemingly the hundredth time that day, wading through a sea of claws and teeth in order to reach her.  
Unfortunately for the protective combatant, a group of demons to his side took advantage of the brief moment of distraction, lunging for Inuyasha's right hand, the hand that held Tetsusaiga. The hanyou cursed as a pair of fangs latched around his wrist, causing him to lose grip on his father's fang, which landed several feet behind him.  
Behind him lay Tetsusaiga, the only thing he had to remember his father, the blade that he had vowed to strike down Naraku with. But ahead was Kagome. Inuyasha didn't pause for even a second, as he lunged forward to reach the young girl. Bringing his claws up, he yelled, "Sankon Tessou!" using a claw attack to shred a nearby demon to pieces. Finally reaching Kagome, Inuyasha stood wordlessly before, viscously attacking anything daring to come near her.  
  
**  
  
It took nearly an hour to finally dispatch the demon horde. Inuyasha, having regained Tetsusaiga shortly after dispatching the last demon, now stood protectively next to Kagome. "Inuyasha, will you relax?" the girl asked as she futilely tried to scrub some of the blood off his claws. Logic told her it would be easier to just find a river to use, but Kagome wanted to do something for him. She kept running the scene over in her mind, Inuyasha had sacrificed the Tetsusaiga for her! He really could be sweet sometimes, Kagome mused.  
As the hanyou fidgeted, Kagome felt a familiar frustration growing in her. "Give it a rest Inuyasha!" she exclaimed. "We beat all the demons, it's over. We won. We can relax for a little while, nothing bad is going to- " she continued, before a voice behind her interrupted. "Um, Kagome?" Shippo asked tentatively.  
Turning, Inuyasha and Kagome saw Miroku and Sango knelt beside an unconscious Botan. Seeing the girl's concern, a small smile rose on Miroku's face. "She'll be alright, the strain of the battle must have overwhelmed her but I am sure she will recover soon. But we do apologize for interrupting you Lady Kagome, I believe you were saying something?"  
The monk and demon slayer seemed to find this little exchange quite amusing, while Kagome's very red face indicated that she did not. Making a mental note to smack him later, she turned her attention to their injured traveling companion.  
  
**  
  
Yusuke moved as fast as his body would allow. They had made camp while they tended to their wounded but, realizing they had no way of knowing which way to start traveling, they had remained in one spot arguing over the best course of action. Several hours of bickering later, the presence of a massive surge in demonic energy caught their attention.  
Chancing a quick look behind him, the spirit detective saw his three friends keeping pace not more than a few feet away. It had been decided that traveling in a group was the wisest course of action, especially since Hiei's lingering wound had dampened his top speed.  
Yusuke froze suddenly, piles of dead demons lying before him. Something must have been pretty powerful to slaughter so many in such a short time. Lost in his thoughts over what creature had done such an act, Yusuke was snapped back to his senses when Kuwabara softly called his name. Following his gaze, Yusuke froze when he saw her.  
Botan was there. She was unconscious, maybe even—Yusuke thought before pushing it out of his mind; she had to be alive. Huddled around the girl were several odd looking humans, but Yusuke soon ignored them, turning his attention instead to a demon standing nearby. A demon with bloodstained claws. Feeling all his anger and frustration bursting out of him, Yusuke charged at the demon, his body glowing blue with spirit energy. This demon will die by my hands, Yusuke vowed. 


	8. Titans Clash

**Chapter 8:**

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the girl passed out on the ground. He still didn't know why they were keeping her around, convincing himself that the demon army they had just defeated was caused solely by the former prisoner of Naraku. This Botan was trouble, Inuyasha told himself, and he didn't care what time she was from.

His claws still covered in blood, Inuyasha began looking across the field, searching for a water source to clean up in. Inuyasha had smelled blood before, quite frequently actually when you consider all the battles he's fought in, but he still didn't like it's putrid scent invading his nostrils. The enhanced sense of smell that came with a hanyou nose was often a benefit, but staying too long in such a field of death could begin to overwhelm the senses.

He felt the energy before he even smelled them. At first Inuyasha thought he had missed a demon or two, but when his eyes finally came to rest on the glowing figure charging at him a wave of surprise washed over the hanyou. The person charging him was…human? How was that possible, Inuyasha asked himself? Even the strongest priestesses like Kikyo or Kagome wouldn't be able to produce so much energy.

There wasn't enough time to ponder the matter, however, as the boy charged Inuyasha, nearly missing a punch that would have taken the hanyou's head off. Out of the corner of his eye, Inuyasha saw his friends rise to their feet, readying their weapons. "Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled, "who is this guy?" Dodging another blow, he managed to retort, "How the hell should I know? I've never seen him before."

Blow after blow was thrown at Inuyasha, who somehow managed to avoid any contact. Inuyasha knew this kid was trying to hurt him, but it was still a human; Tetsusaiga should remain sheathed. Ducking under a roundhouse kick, the hanyou thought about how proud Kagome would be when he told her later. Inuyasha was feeling pretty good about himself for trying not to hurt a human, at least until he caught the scent clinging to the boy.

Suddenly disengaging the enemy, Inuyasha leapt backwards several dozen yards to land directly in front of his friends. Moving to his waist, his hand wrapped around the hilt of Tetsusaiga as the hanyou unsheathed his father's fang, transforming it to its true form. Startled by this change in tactics, Kagome asked, "Inuyasha, what is it?" A grim look on his face, he replied, "That human. His scent reeks of Sesshomaru."

Questions swirled around his mind, threatening to cause his head to explode. His evil half-brother had always tried to kill him, but the demon had never sent anyone to do the dirty work for him before. For Sesshomaru to send humans was unthinkable. Questions would have to wait, however. Beside him, Miroku, Sango and Kagome stood with their weapons at the ready. The human that had attacked him was not alone either, as three warriors stood at his side. It couldn't be helped, Inuyasha thought as he charged at the group of enemies. The fight was on.

Kurama had watched Yusuke attack the demon. While his friend's judgment was clouded by an intense rage, the kitsune nevertheless knew that his opponent was quite strong and must be subdued as quickly as possible. Seeing the demon charge at them, a massive sword in hand, Kurama followed their leader intent on ending the battle before it could start.

As he raced forward and moved to approach the demon, however, Kurama was forced to halt his advance as a human appeared, blocking his path. The human was a young man, dressed in what appeared to be the robes of a monk. Holding a staff before him, the human said, "Two against one isn't really fair now is it? I'm afraid Inuyasha is busy at the moment with your glowing friend there. Your opponent will be me."

"If that is your wish," Kurama replied to him. Raising a hand to his hair, the kitsune produced a rose from the red locks. "Goodbye," he called, as the simple flower was now the deadly Rose Whip, a weapon that would quickly disable his opponent.

Surprise enveloped Kurama, however, as his whip wrapped around the monk's staff. Instead of being struck down, the human had intercepted his attack and had pinned his whip down. Kurama made to compliment his opponent on a wise move; not many were skilled enough to counter such an attack. He was interrupted, however, when he saw the monk holding several slips of paper in his free hand. The paper burned with spiritual energy as the monk threw them at Kurama.

Making a sudden choice, Kurama abandoned his whip, knowing it would revert to a harmless flower the moment he stopped enhancing it with his power. Even still, the kitsune could not completely dodge the attack, as one of the slips brushed past his arm. A wave of pain washed over Kurama, leaving him a little weak and light headed. That scroll, Kurama realized was designed to purify demon energy; to effectively disable anything demonic that it struck. Internally smiling, Kurama suddenly felt very grateful for his human half, for being Suichi.

"You withstood my hamfuda. Impressive," the monk said. Struggling to his feet, Kurama replied, "Your holy powers are indeed quite a sight, but I am afraid that alone will not be enough to defeat me." When the only he got from the monk was a smirk, Kurama launched into a very uncharacteristic attack, charging down the monk. The kitsune threw several punches at the human's head, only to find his efforts in vain as each blow was knocked away with a simple flick of his staff.

Kurama's assault continued, his blows increasing with both force and the unpredictable fury of a frustrated and out of control demon. Countering a slash at his throat, the monk brought his staff down hard against the kitsune's face, causing blood to trickle from an open wound. Seeing the sight of the blood seemed to unnerve the demon, who abruptly stopped his attack.

Overwhelmed by the sight of his own blood, Kurama disengaged his opponent and used his demon strength to leap backwards almost twenty yards. Quickly taking chase, the monk charged after the fox. Internally smiling Kurama knew the monk had fallen for his trap. As the monk closed on him, he quickly approached the ground upon which Kurama had stood at the beginning of their face off.

The monk was moving so fast, Kurama knew he'd never know what hit him. As he reached the spot, Kurama launched his ambush. Erupting from the ground shot a thick black root covered in large spiky thorns. Each thorn contained a powerful nerve toxin that would effectively disable a human for several hours.

Kurama, his spirit energy fully concentrated into controlling the remote roots, coiled the tendrils and struck directly at the monk's chest. Or rather he struck at where the monk's chest was. Blinking, the kitsune realized the human had dodged to the side, rolling safely away from the reach of the roots.

Dusting himself off as he stood, the monk replied, "Nice attack, but if I may make a suggestion, you really should work on your acting. I have seen out of control demons before and you really don't seem to fit the part; you seem a little too smart for such an animalistic style of combat." Smiling, he continued, "Though I do suppose I'm fortunate to know the extent of your powers now, controlling plants and vegetation if I am not mistaken."

Silently chiding himself, Kurama released his hold over the root as he realized his mistake. Even knowing the need to end his battle quickly, the kitsune had been subconsciously holding himself back while he gauged his opponent's strength. It was a sound battle strategy normally, but he realized he must now abandon it. "Very well then, no more holding back. Human or not, I shall use my full power to end this battle."

At this, the monk merely smiled. Dropping his staff on the ground behind him, he turned and said, "I'm afraid this battle is over. You see, while you did lead me into a trap, I followed into it willingly." As Kurama began to realize what he was saying, he knew it was already too late. "You see," the monk continued, "I followed because it allowed me to put some distance between us and the rest of my friends." Looking past his opponent, Kurama could see the others engaged in battles of their own, quite a distance behind the speaking monk.

"And now that I don't have to worry about my companions getting caught in my wake," he said as his left hand reached for the prayer beads wrapped around his right wrist, "I don't have to hold back either." Ripping off the beads, the monk unleashed his ultimate attack, calling out over the maelstrom, "Kazanna!"

Sango sat on Kirara's back, surveying the battlefield for her enemy. Inuyasha had quickly engaged the human who had attacked him, while she had briefly seen Miroku fighting with another demon off to her side. Sango had not taken long to attack the remaining demon, a small black haired creature the others had called Hiei.

But while she had been raised in a village of demon hunters and had been slaughtering their kind since she hit puberty, Sango found herself having a great deal of difficulty battling this Hiei. Launching her Hiraikotsu at the small black blur below her, the slayer let out a frustrated sigh as he easily dodged her attack.

The battle had come to a stand still, Sango being unable to hit Hiei due to his superior speed, and Hiei being unable to reach Sango as she flew overhead on Kirara. Resolving to put an end to their confrontation, the demon slayer told her cat to dive as she threw the giant boomerang once again. This time however, instead of merely dodging the weapon Hiei had leapt onto it, using Hiraikotsu as a stepping stone to leap at Sango, who was now within his reach.

Unfortunately for the diminutive fire demon, a life of hunting demons had made Sango quite resourceful, a fact often lost in their battles, as Inuyasha used his sword to defeat anything and everything before them. As Hiei rapidly approached Sango she knew that he was wide open to an attack. Thinking her boomerang was her only form of offense, the demon had taken the risk that came with hanging in midair as he approached his target, wholly unable to dodge.

Quickly choosing her best attack, Sango threw a handful of powder in the demon's face, a powder that was quite poisonous to demons. Dropping to the ground, Hiei madly rubbed at his face and eyes. The demon slayer momentarily diverted her attention from her foe to catch her returned boomerang, only to be overcome with shock upon returning her gaze to the demon.

Standing upright Hiei sneered, "Fool. Poison that weak is only an irritant to a powerful demon like myself." Staring at another impasse, Sango's attention was diverted to a power off in the distance—Miroku's Kazanna. Looking to the monk, Sango saw him opposite the red haired demon, who was futilely trying to brace himself from being pulled in. Despite the demon's best efforts, however, he was slowly sliding forward, closer and closer to being absorbed by the cursed hand.

Hiei had apparently understood the situation as quickly as Sango had, as he charged toward the monk with his katana drawn. Reacting on pure adrenaline, Sango pushed Kirara forward and threw Hiraikotsu with all her might. She did not aim at the charging demon, however, but at the monk himself.

Hiei grew closer, almost within striking distance. As he raised his sword to strike, the giant boomerang came crashing in from his right, imbedding itself in the ground less than an inch behind Miroku. The demon brought his sword down, but only made contact with the bone boomerang that stood behind the monk as a protective shield.

Feeling the boomerang land behind him, Miroku closed his Kazanna and turned to find Sango's weapon was the only thing between himself and a demon. Hiei leapt over the monk and landed next to Kurama, giving him a derisive glance. Behind Miroku, Sango didn't wait for her friend to reach the ground, leaping off Kirara's back.

Grabbing her weapon as she ran to stand beside Miroku, Sango stared down the two demons before them. Not taking her eyes off their opponents, Sango asked, 'Miroku, are you alright?" Her concern quickly vanished as he responded in the affirmative, reaching over to grope her from behind. A wave of embarrassment clearly visible on her face, Sango turned to the monk and demanded, "What are you doing? Now is not the time for this," she said, indicating the demons.

"If now is not the time, later perhaps?" the monk asked. Blushing furiously, Sango tried desperately to keep her mind on the fight at hand, rather than the amorous monk at her side. "Let's just worry about them for now," she finally said, launching into an attack that would allow her to avoid facing him. Smiling, Miroku realized that for the first time she had not rejected him outright. With the realization dawned on him and a new sense of purpose to win the battle, Miroku joined the fray.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, another kitsune was engaged in mortal combat. Shippo threw another demonic fireball at the ugly oaf with his glowing yellow energy sword. He had declared his name to be Kuwabara and told Kagome he would take her away from all the violence and demons. It wasn't until he dodged the third purification arrow she shot at him that the boy seemed to realize Kagome didn't need rescuing and wasn't going with him.

Wanting to help his friend and show everyone what a powerful demon he was, Shippo had attacked. He was going to show everybody his true power, especially Inuyasha. At least that was the plan. Unfortunately, the young kitsune was finding it a lot harder than he thought.

Chancing a quick glance over to Kagome, Shippo grew annoyed—she wasn't even watching! It was the same as every other battle, all she ever thought about was Inuyasha. What about poor Shippo, the kitsune thought. He was fighting this Kuwabara guy because he wanted to take Kagome away, and she was only looking at that mangy hanyou. Shippo didn't understand adults sometimes. After all, he told himself, he was much cuter than Inuyasha.

Not wanting to waste anymore time with his opponent, Shippo decided to pull out all stops and use his strongest attack. Taking a small top from his pouch, he threw the toy at Kuwabara, using his energy to transform it into a giant version of itself. Before he could start gloating however, Shippo was mortified to see the boy slice his attack in two with his Spirit Sword.

Before the reality of what happened could really set in, Kuwabara charged at the clueless demon, landing a punch to the top of his head. As a large bump rose on his head, Shippo found he could not hold his tears back anymore. Acting purely on instinct Shippo did the only thing a great demon like himself could—he ran to Kagome.

Leaping on her shoulder, tears still rolling down his cheeks, the child looked to Kagome to make it all better. "Shippo, what's wrong?" a slightly startled Kagome asked. Between sobs the kitsune managed to reply, "H-he hit me!" pointing right at the speechless Kuwabara, who was totally shocked by the turn of events in his battle.

Seething with anger, Kagome stormed over to the human boy and demanded, "How could you!? He's just a little kid and you go hitting him? You bully!" Stunned, Kuwabara managed to stammer, "Well, he started it!" The look on Kagome's face actually scared the normally fearless boy. He had only seen that look once, on Keiko's face, and after seeing the bruises on Urameshi Kuwabara had learned that it was definitely something to avoid.

Kagome continued to yell as Kuwabara sheepishly inched backwards, "He's only a kid, YOU'RE supposed to know better than that!" The once fearless warrior backed up a little more from the verbal barrage. "What kind of man would do something like that? You-you jerk!"

Her last words had stung Kuwabara to his very core. He had always prided himself on his personal honor code, on how he always fought proudly, like a man. The girl's words shook him to his very core, so much so that he didn't even register the oncoming danger as Kagome took her overly large and heavy backpack in her hands. Swinging with all her might, she connected with Kuwabara's head, knocking the boy out cold.

The main event, the most important of the battles, was being waged in the heart of the action. Ignoring the skirmishes around them, the two most powerful warriors faced off; Inuyasha versus Yusuke Urameshi, hanyou versus human.

Inuyasha was usually reluctant to fight humans, their inherent physical weakness usually made for a lopsided battle and the hanyou deplored slaughtering beings that couldn't properly fight back. Besides which, their humanity reminded Inuyasha of his mother—and Kagome. Knowing that the girl hated seeing him hurt a human was another major factor in his dislike for battling them, though he'd never admit it out loud.

All of these restrictions flew out the window, however, when it came to the human that attacked him outright, the human that reeked of his full demon half-brother. Inuyasha would do whatever it took to put this human down, though he would try to keep the boy alive. A dead human couldn't tell tales. Besides which, Inuyasha did not want Kagome to get upset.

Charging at the human while wielding the fang that was Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha swung the blade down toward Yusuke's shoulder. Unfortunately, the human had anticipated such a move and dove forward, completing a roll that brought him up inside of Inuyasha's guard. Charging his fist with spirit energy, Yusuke landed a hard punch to the hanyou's stomach.

Recovering quickly, Inuyasha leapt backwards, trying desperately to recover the breath that had just been knocked out of him. Letting his anger win out over his judgment, he charged at the human again, unleashing a flurry of swipes and slashes that Yusuke barely managed to dodge. This time it was the human that gave ground, leaping backwards to put about a dozen yards between the two warriors.

A smile rose on Yusuke's face, but the anger in his eyes nevertheless remained. "You're good, but this ends now!" he yelled. Gathering all of his energy into his right index finger, the boy brought his hand up to take a bead on his hanyou opponent. Inuyasha remained motionless, his sword at the ready, awaiting the next attack.

Full of desperation and anger from seeing his friend sprawled across the ground, Yusuke put everything he had into his attack, unleashing a massive wave of blue energy as he shouted, "SPIRIT GUN!"

The energy rocketed toward Inuyasha, coming on too fast. Quickly assessing the situation, Inuyasha knew there would be no way to dodge the attack. Facing the blast, Inuyasha brought up Tetsusaiga to block. As the human spirit energy made contact with the demonic blade, a massive eruption of energy completely engulfed the hanyou.

Kagome had turned from her battle with the boy named Kuwabara in time to see the stand off, to see the human's energy rocketing toward Inuyasha. The explosion had been massive, billowing clouds of dust and smoke kicked up in its wake. Kagome's eyes burned from the dust but she ignored the pain as her mind was consumed with one thought. She had to reach Inuyasha.

Running into the fray, Kagome screamed out his name as tears freely fell down her face. She couldn't have lost him, Kagome told herself, not before I could tell him. As she ran through the debris, Kagome bumped into something, tumbling to the ground in the process. Rubbing her eyes to see through the dense smoke, Kagome's heart rose to see Inuyasha standing before her completely unharmed.

Quickly rising, she jumped onto the hanyou, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "Inuyasha! I thought I lost you," she said before he pushed her off of him. "Dammit woman, what the hell are you doing here, get away!" was the only reply she received.

Kagome blinked in surprise before she realized the cause of the hanyou's anger. Looking at his hand, she noticed that Tetsusaiga had transformed; what was before a mighty fang was now merely a rusty old sword. Ignoring his demand to leave, Kagome asked, "Tetsusaiga! What happened to it?" Grimacing, Inuyasha replied, "I don't know. After that guy's energy hit the sword it transformed, and now it won't change back. What do you think I was trying to do standing in all of this crap?"

Before Kagome could respond, the couple heard the voice of the human that was locked in mortal combat with them. "Hey! Don't think it's over yet!" Residual energy and dust kicked into the air, his visibility virtually non-existent, Yusuke couldn't see more than a few feet in front of his face. Knowing that the hanyou was alive but unaware that he was not alone, Yusuke prepared to fire another blast from his Spirit Gun.

"Kagome! Run!" Inuyasha screamed, but he knew it was useless. Trying desperately to transform his sword, Inuyasha heard Yusuke fire. As the bullet of energy rocketed toward him, Inuyasha felt Kagome clinging desperately to his back. He knew she would not leave him.

As the fatal blast of energy surged forward, Inuyasha felt his anger rise. They could kill him, but this was going to hurt Kagome too. Inuyasha would never let that happen, he vowed to himself, he WOULD protect her. Suddenly, as if through the hanyou's sheer force of will, Tetsusaiga transformed.

Smiling as he faced the oncoming attack, Inuyasha raised his father's fang and unleashed his attack, calling out, "Kaze no Kizu!"


	9. Aftermath

**Chapter 9:**

Botan stretched out on the futon, feeling the sun's warmth shining down on her face. Ruling Spirit World was hard work for the blue-haired girl, no one could fault her for taking a break every now and then, could they?

Turning to the lone ogre standing in the corner, Botan said, "I'm bored. Summon my royal harem to entertain me." Leaping from his spot, the ogre quickly vanished. There were many foolish things one could do in this realm of demons and apparitions but to cross the Queen was the most foolish.

Less than five minutes later the door to the Queen's quarters opened, ushering in the royal concubines Kurama and Yusuke Urameshi. Botan began to plan all the devious fun she could have with her servants when she noticed they were not alone. Behind them stood Kazuma Kuwabara, tall and proud despite the french maid outfit he wore.

"I finished scrubbing the floors and doing your laundry. Is there anything else you command milady?" Feeling a wave of frustration and wanting to get to the fun, Botan rolled her eyes and said, "Oh I don't care, go clean out the gutters or something."

As the great warrior/house boy turned to leave he grumbled, "Stuck up Botan. I don't get all high and mighty in MY dreams." Not sure she heard right, Botan called after him, "What's that? What did you just say?"

Walking over to his queen, Kurama sat down next to her and said, "Your highness, you DO realize that you are dreaming right now." Blinking in shock, Botan almost didn't hear Yusuke's snarky reply. "Yeah and you should probably be waking up now because I really don't think Keiko would be happy about any of these crazed sex dreams anyway."

"W-what are you guys talking about?" Botan asked nervously. "Everyone knows that I'm the most popular ruler in the history of Spirit World. Do you really think if this was a dream that you, two of the strongest warriors in this realm, would be here ready to obey my every command…"

Trailing off, Botan listened to the words coming out of her mouth, realizing how they sounded. The oppressive weight of reality was crushing her subconscious fantasy. Letting go of her last vestiges of denial she was faced with the harsh truth.

Pouting over this new course of events, Botan looked at the two boys and plaintively asked, "Do I have to?" When they both solemnly nodded Botan reluctantly said, "Fine! If you two are going to keep hassling me then I'll just wake up." Sitting up she turned to Kurama to whisper, "See you tonight." Then, the blue-haired girl opened her eyes.

A moment later Botan wasn't sure if she had woken up or simply replaced her warm dream with a terrible nightmare. Lying in the middle of a war zone, she rolled over to see the prone body of a redheaded boy that looked vaguely similar to Kuwabara not twenty yards away.

Bolting up, the grim reaper frantically tried to gain an understanding of her surroundings. A short distance away she saw two of her new friends, Miroku and Sango, looking heavily bruised and quite exhausted. Sango's feline companion lay unconscious at their feet. The two warriors raggedly assumed fighting stances as they faced down their opponents…Kurama and Hiei?

Botan stood rooted in place for a moment, her brain still trying to process what her friends from the future were doing here. Snapping out of her daze, Botan made to call out to the demon pair when she heard a scream to her left.

Spinning around gave Botan a view of an equally horrible scene. Inuyasha stood protectively in front of Kagome, sword in hand and fangs bared to his opponent. A tear welled up in her eye when Botan saw Yusuke standing opposite the hanyou, his left arm hanging limply at his side. It broke her heart to see Yusuke; the closest thing to a true friend Botan had ever had, looking terrible, almost as bad as Miroku and Sango.

A great swell of emotion coursing through her body as Botan saw her friends, new and old, having decimated each other. Drawing on every bit of energy in her body, the blue-haired girl took a deep breath and shouted above the bedlam, "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

Everyone froze at the sound of a normally perky blue-haired grim reaper screaming her lungs out at them. The first to recover, Yusuke ran over to her and threw his one good arm around her, saying, "Botan, you're alive!"

Stifling a laugh, Botan replied, "Oh Yusuke, of course I am. Though you won't be if Keiko finds out you were putting your arms around me like this." Blood rushing to his face, Yusuke quickly disengaged himself before saying, "Uh, yknow Botan, there's really no need to tell Keiko about that."

Seeing Kurama, Hiei and a newly awoken Kuwabara approaching, Botan exclaimed, "Your all here! I can't believe it." Grabbing Kuwabara, the nearest person to her, in a bear hug, Botan said," Kuwabara! I'm so glad you're okay! And good call on ditching that french maid outfit!"

"Uh…what maid outfit?" Kuwabara asked meekly. A look of concern on his face, Kurama stepped forward to say, "Perhaps we should give Botan a quick medical examination. From the sounds of it she may have suffered a trauma to the head recently." Shaking the idea off, Yusuke replied, "Nah. She's pretty much always like this."

Quite happy to enjoy the reunion with her friends, Botan was brought back down to earth by the sound of a throat being cleared. Looking over, she saw Inuyasha and his companions with weapons still drawn and, at least in the case on the hanyou, ready to resume the battle.

Before the more violent Yusuke and Hiei could take up Inuyasha's unspoken offer to resume hostilities, however, Botan leapt between the two groups of warriors. Holding her hands up she said, "Wait everybody, hold on! No more fighting, I can explain everything."

Several hours later, Botan had finished her story and emotions had cooled off for the most part. While Yusuke and Inuyasha silently scowled at each other from across their makeshift campsite, it was Kuwabara that spoke up.

"So, uh, you guys are like some kinda prehistoric demon hunters then?" Narrowing her eyes, Sango said icily, "Prehistoric?" Rubbing the back of his head, Kuwabara replied, "Uh, yeah I just meant—you know with it being so primitive here and all…"

"Excuse me?" Sango asked, more than a little perturbed. Fortunately, before Kuwabara could insert his foot any farther into his mouth Botan spoke up, chiding, "Cut it out Kuwabara, they're just as smart as you or me. Maybe a little more so."

Jumping in, Yusuke demanded, "What's that supposed to mean Botan? Kuwabara's right, this place is primitive. They don't even have indoor plumbing!" Quick to admonish him, Kagome interjected, "Hey! There's more to it than just technology. This time period has a lot to offer, maybe even more than our time." Cracking a smile, Botan added, "Besides Yusuke, someone with a D average in his classes really shouldn't talk about other people's smarts."

"You only have a D average?" Kagome asked incredulously. "Wow, I even do better than that spending the majority of my time here." Before the time-displaced warriors could ponder this statement, however, another voice interceded into the conversation.

"I've given it some thought, and it appears that our goals are rather identical, namely to bring an end to the demon Naraku," Kurama said. "As such it would be quite redundant for our two separate groups to compete in tracking down the same leads and fighting the same battles. There appears to be only one logical course of action."

Partly engulfed in the shadows of the gathering nightfall, Hiei gave Kurama a long glare before stating, "You better not be suggesting what I think you are fox." Ignoring the diminutive fire demon, Kurama continued, "It would be best to pool our resources. I propose an alliance."

Simultaneously leaping to their feet, Yusuke exclaimed, "Like hell," while Inuyasha said, "Over my dead body." After an oar to the head and a sit command respectively, the two team leaders were once again seated, or rather sprawled, on the forest floor.

A bandaged Sango nevertheless said, "I'm inclined to agree with Inuyasha." Turning to her companions she said, "I've been a yokai exterminator my entire life, and I can count the number of benevolent full-blooded demons I've met on one hand."

Sitting back up, one hand on a rising bump on his head, Yusuke said, "Hey that's fine lady, we don't want your help and we don't NEED your help." In order to stave off another conflict, Kurama interjected, "That's fine Yusuke. So what do you propose we do next? We're trapped in a strange time we do not fully understand, our fighting capabilities have been weakened from a number of pointless battles, and we're hunting a demon of unimaginable power that, I might add, we've never even seen before."

By now, however, a slightly dustier Inuyasha had arisen to declare, "Talk all you want. You people aren't coming with us. Run off and hide somewhere and we'll tell you when we've killed the demon."

The hanyou was building up to a great rant when Kagome grabbed him by the ear and dragged him away from Yusuke and his group. Retreating from the group, they huddled up some distance away with Miroku and Sango. Kagome let go of the furry white ear and said, "Look Inuyasha, I don't like this any more than you do. But these guys are from my time, and with their powers and knowledge of the future they can do a lot of damage if they're left unchecked."

Nodding, Miroku replied, "Kagome makes a good point. Best to keep them in our sights where we can make sure they do no harm." Reluctantly agreeing, Sango added, "I don't trust them either Inuyasha, and I have little reason to believe their intentions are noble. All we can do is stay together and not turn our back on them. For now."

Not liking the idea one bit, but not having an argument to counter his friend's logic, Inuyasha grunted his affirmative. "But if they try anything funny," the hanyou said, "I'm going to hit first and ask questions later."

"It's agreed then," Miroku said, rising and moving to rejoin Yusuke's group. "Now I wonder what Botan was up to…" the monks started before feeling the weight of Hiraikotsu come down on his head. Stepping over his prone form, Sango missed the little smile Miroku always got when he succeeded in making her jealous.

Sitting down next to Botan, Kagome said, "We all talked it over and agreed that it would probably be for the best if we teamed up." Feeling her usual chipper self once more, Botan replied, "Oh that's wonderful. So, what do you think out next step should be?"

Joining the girls by the fire, Sango said, "Kagome is able to sense the Shikon jewel shards that Naraku carries with him. We should rest here for the night to recover our strength and begin our search in the morning."

A few yards away Inuyasha stared down Yusuke. "Just remember when we find Naraku, he's mine. You go hide under a skirt and let someone who knows what he's doing handle it." Yusuke, never one to take a challenge lying down, retorted, "Oh, I'm sure you'll beat him. After all you did such a good job all those other times you fought him."

His hand subconsciously dropping to the hilt of Tetsusaiga and his voice becoming a little more threatening, "This coming from some punk human that would have been fertilizer if his little girlfriend over there," Inuyasha said gesturing to Botan, "didn't run in and save him."

"Don't get cocky. I've killed more demons than you could even count. You get lucky once. ONCE! Just because you hit your best attack by sheer dumb luck doesn't mean you'll be able to do it again!" Yusuke roared.

The situation was going from bad to worse as everyone grew quite silent. Kurama and Miroku, chatting quietly off to the side, Kuwabara trying to impress the girls with his muscles and Hiei sulking in the darkness; all eyes were on Inuyasha and Yusuke. The only question would be which of the hotheads would throw the first punch.

Suddenly, as if in a blur, Kagome appeared by Inuyasha's side. "Come on now guys," she said, "it's getting late and I'm sure we're all just a little tired." Looping her arm in Inuyasha's, she began leading the hanyou away from the confrontation before stopping. 'Oh and Yusuke, just so you know," Kagome said sweetly, "that wasn't Inuyasha's strongest attack. Not even close."

The hanyou smiled smugly as he let Kagome lead him away from a spirit detective that was very speechless and more than a little annoyed. Tomorrow they would resume their hunt for Naraku and nothing, Inuyasha told himself, would be able to save the demon from his blade.


End file.
